Loving Supernatural ME
by victoriarogue
Summary: Lory's Majestic Entertainment company hasn't had any promising music talents until a strange woman enters the building to become a rock icon. Will she be able to impress Lory Takarada and obtain her dream or will Lory cause some problems for her, too?
1. Ghost Artist

Yeah, it's me again with another production of fiction for a different anime/manga: Skip Beat! So, I read the manga up to its recent chapter 180: Black Breath, and I noticed that in all of Kyoko's encounters there were no female characters involved in the music industry with exception to the girl Kyoko challenged in the beginning for the elegant heiress role. Shotaro, for the bastard that he is, and Vie Ghoul, who are some of the best characters of comedy in the manga, are the only few people involved in music in the entire series. It makes sense since the artist, Yoshiki Nakamura, focuses on the acting world and fashion mainly, but I thought it would be cool to get more musicians in L.M.E. This is how the idea of a ghost artist came to be. I hope you all enjoy another of my creations. Grab a pillow and blankey, some snacks, and have fun reading.

* * *

><p>"One…two…one, two, three, and - "<p>

The guitar sang for her as she guided her hand wordlessly across the strings. She held her weapon with a skilled grace that ghosted along the fret board with utter fierceness. She hadn't felt this sort of power in years. The sounds of screaming and whistles echoed in her ears like a distant memory. Waves moved in her closed eyes, emanating euphoria and nostalgia simultaneously, and fist pumping became another memory in her subconscious as she created movement in her imagination. Suddenly, she relived something she had abandoned and understood the magic of the plaudits bestowed upon her. Such a beautiful experience fleeted away from her. She stopped playing for the fifteenth time that night and sat down along her window ceil. She inhaled slowly and let out that anxiety in her shattered depths. She was nervous, but she wasn't nervous about her music. It was whether or not going back to music and the mainstream was the right thing to do. She wasn't supposed to return. She was supposed to be a ghost artist - someone who came to jam and change the music realm, but someone who was also a specter of melodies. A song couldn't be done without a shadow of her form. That's what she had hoped to accomplish. That dream, those plaudits, and that feeling were tarnished years ago. Could she honestly relive that moment in time?

"Guro-chan?"

An elderly man walked into a young woman's bedroom and stopped into the door. He knew why he didn't hear the girl playing her instrument. She was afraid of something. He came closer to her relaxing form and looked out of the window she was gazing through. A sigh passed between them and they remained silent as they watched cars go by and lights flash. Someone was being pulled over for speeding.

"Is the reason you're so quiet related to your music?" the man asked.

"No," Guro answered, looking at the police officer come out of his vehicle. "If that was my problem, I wouldn't be trying to write songs. Fact, I'd quit my job at the plant."

"What is bothering you then?" the man asked.

"I don't want anyone to ask me about my past," Guro answered, silencing herself and returning to her bouts of despondency. "Even though I don't want them to ask, I know they will eventually."

"Why are you returning to the industry as a solo act then?"

"I want to shatter their dreams with my strength," she hissed, grabbing her carton of cigarettes. "Make 'em suffer. Crush that hope they had. But I know I won't be able to fully succeed them if I just do session guitar. Even though I made decent money back then and was discovered there, I want to cross some boundaries. Tell 'em to fuck off. I can't keep livin' in my own shadow. There has to be another light to outshine the darkness in me."

"My precious Guro," the elder said, placing a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder. "This aggressive behavior will take you passed one boundary, I will admit that, but there are always more than one boundary and aggressiveness can't handle them all. The rest can't be solely based on your anger. It has to come from something else. Your determination has always been a light, but it isn't the light that outshines your shadows. It has always been something else - something even more powerful than ambition. In order to be filled fully in life, you have to be fulfilled in the moments that life bring you. Anger will show people who you are today. It won't show them who you are tomorrow, and it won't tell them who you were yesterday. You weren't angry yesterday, and there's no guarantee that you will be angry tomorrow. Today you are nervous."

"Why is it that you always know what to say to me?" Guro asks, smiling gently.

"Because I'm old," the elder joked. "And I know who you were once just as I know who you are today. It's tomorrow that I don't know about."

"Ne, papa?" Guro called gently. "Come with me tomorrow."

"Only if you promise not to let anger be your sword."

"I just wish it was, grandpapa," Guro whispered, voice cracking in silent anguish. "I wish it was…"

"Precious…" the elder whispered, embracing his granddaughter.

* * *

><p>"Nakazawa!" Takenori Sawara shouted, waking the manager from his brief nap.<p>

As if this day couldn't get any better. First, the president sent Kyoko Mogami to work with Ren Tsuruga on a film; now, the head of the singing department is taking afternoon naps when he's really not supposed to be.

"Aren't you supposed to be a trained professional?" Sawara asked, raising an annoyed eyebrow. "What if the president caught you taking snoozes when you have auditions to supervise today?"

"Let me see you handle a stupid goth group's vengeance on the planet!" Nakazawa argued, little tears developing in his baggy eyes.

He truly was tired of kids who couldn't take a simple no. Why did they have to take their anger out on the building of Akatoki Agency, L.M.E.? It made no sense. At least get pissed at him or the people who actually made it and learn about the company. The future of Japan is just in shambles. Nakazawa knew he had no room to complain, so he didn't bother to lament his disappointment in newer talents. He sat up straight with his professional mask on and spoke to Sawara, head of the Talent Department, as if he hadn't been sleeping at his desk and slobbering on the demo tapes.

"Well, it's over now," Nakazawa sighed. "What brings you here of all places?"

"One of my employees wanted to work with you on a demo tape. She said it was for a soundtrack for an upcoming movie, so I'm letting you know she's coming to terrorize you."

"Does it have to be today? I'm supposed to be meeting some people in another fifteen minutes."

"What's your schedule for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow at 1:35 would be great to contact me. Just remind me ahead of time."

"Alright," Sawara accepts, nodding and smiling. "So, uh, who are you meeting in fifteen minutes?"

"Well, it's another artist, but I plan on signing her when she gets here," Nakazawa answers, shocking Sawara.

"Wha - ? Already? You've never done that before! You're known to be as harsh as the critics if not more ruthless."

"I was, but there was nothing truly negative about her performance. She had a wonderful voice, great instrumental backing, decent lyrics, and an interesting poetry. If she makes an even bigger impression for me and the president today, you'll be able to meet her soon, too. President Takarada was interested in hearing from her. I have a contract ready for everyone to sign should she be accepted. I'm rooting for her."

"I've never heard you support someone so steadfastly. What brought this on?"

"I should let you listen to her demo. I've heard it several times as if it were a collection of albums. I was going to try to dig up some background history on her today, but it may have to wait 'til tomorrow evening. I'd love to see how she developed her skills."

"What's the girl's name?"

Nakazawa shuffles through demo tapes, finding the one he admired the most, and said, "Hiyashinsu Guro. Goes by the name of Shioreta. On her application, she wrote her first album during middle school and has written a new one in light of her previous recordings. She hasn't had a company to support her work. I think she has potential, though. I hope the president accepts her."

"I hope so, too," Sawara says. "I'd hate to see a favorite be put out."

_Then again, I'd hate to see him have to handle another Mogami Kyoko-chan… _Sawara thought, blue despair lines dressing his crown. _No one deserves to suffer that sort of rage…_

* * *

><p><em>Long ago, God created a box…a box with many, many locks…so that it could not be opened by anyone else but themselves. Everyone has this sealed box from God, and then they are born into the world. Only the owner of the box can open the locks, and the box only opens once because once the key undoes the locks…it becomes irreplaceable. One woman is about to challenge that logic with her own crafted skeleton key. Her box was opened once and locked away the next, but she's aiming to find the key to reopen heaven's treasure. What will become of that person…<em>

"Excuse me?"

"Eh?" the secretary responded, shivering.

An elder man and a young woman were before her, but the young woman looked ghastly. She wore a wide-brimmed red hat, a black shredded and fitting hoodie, a black leather bomber jacket, black fingerless gloves, and red open-toe booties. Her red guitar case was strapped to her back like an army man's rifle. Her long black hair cascaded down her face in wisps of raven's feathers. She looked a guardian of hell escorting one of her victims! The elder man was all smiles, fully confident in the woman with him.

"I have an appointment with Nakazawa-san for 2:30. I'm checking in."

"Eh?" the secretary chirped, looking down at her record booklet. Just as the crypt keeper said, an appointment with Nakazawa at 2:30 was registered. The woman read the name, trembling a bit, "Hi-Hiya-Hiyashinsu Goru?"

"Yeah, that's me," Goru answered, smiling eerily.

_If she defies God and opens heaven's treasure with a skeleton key to tap into her gifts…?_

The freaked secretary gulped, pushed the red button on the phone directory, and said, "Nakazawa-san, a Hiyashinsu Goru is here to see you for her two o'clock appointment. She's at the front desk with her parent-guardian checking in. Where would you like to send her…? All right, thank you… Nakazawa-san says he will meet you at the lounge area. He'll be downstairs in about ten minutes."

"Thank you for your kindness," Goru said, bowing quite elegantly with her grandfather.


	2. Lory Gets a Bombshell

"So, what brought you into wanting to be in show business?" he started.

The elder man and woman were calmly drinking some coffee in L.A. Caffeine in front of the head of the singing department of L.M.E., Nakazawa. Nakazawa was just as surprised as the secretary had been when Hiyashinsu Goru greeted him. She was oddly dressed and seemed a bit creepier than most of the pop stars that entered L.M.E.'s front doors. Scary is the better term - just plain scary, but this girl had an impressive demo tape, and Nakazawa was quite anxious to test her skills as a professional.

So far, he learned two things from Hiyashinsu-san: she was being escorted by her grandfather, Hiyashinsu Matsui, and she graduated college last year and got a decent job as an engineer at a plant. That should have been more time-consuming than seeking a musical career. The only thing Nakazawa couldn't quite understand was why leave a perfectly stable occupation for show business. He just had to know the motives for himself to understand the ghostly woman before him. Something just wasn't right about the career changes.

"I know you have the talent and I hope to see your showmanship skills today, but what is your motivation exactly?"

"I want to introduce the world to my mother," Goru answered quietly though vaguely.

"Your mother?" Nakazawa questioned.

_Why not just help her model or something then? _He thought, not understanding the connection between the girl's career change and her parent.

"When I was little, my mother inspired me to be an instrumentalist in an orchestra," Goru responded, revealing a photograph of her mother. She was quite beautiful in her pink kimono. "Through her, I learned how to play piano, guitar, flute, drums, and the cello. I also learned how to sing traditional enka music. She passed away when I was ten after a stroke during my performance of China's new year festival at my elementary school."

Nakazawa gasped and thought, _Her mother's gone? She looks so young in the picture, though. Ah…! I see. She wants to get into the music biz because her mother couldn't do it, right?_

"My grandmother and grandfather took care of me and provided an equally powerful presence in her absence. I hadn't mourned for her as much once I continued to play as an instrumentalist through their graces," Goru continued. "When I started high school, I played session guitar and I also did acoustic on other instruments. Since, as a session player, no one really knows about your skills or you for that matter, I wanted to do more publicly and really expand my connection with the audience as I would my mother. I wouldn't be as I am without her, and I want to show her my true skills with her spirit guiding me. The main reason I'm here is not to change the music industry. Realistically, I can't change what's here already, but I can change the content - the backbone so to speak - of the music industry and what music can be."

_This girl… _Nakazawa thought, smiling gently and sympathetically. _A chance to make her mother proud…is a touching reason, but the audience won't go for something so touchy-feely when it's a newcomer. There has to be more when you're working for L.M.E._

"I understand the importance of that connection you have with your mother and her influence on you and music," Nakazawa said. "But how will you apply this connection to your fan base. As a woman, how will you get men to fall for you with your mother's love as a base reference? As a fellowman, how will you get women to fall for you? What are you willing to bring to the table to get people drawn to you?"

"Basically, how do I give out something fresh?" Goru questioned to clarify.

"Yes. If I'm a virgin of your style of music and personality, how will you draw me away from what I'm accustomed to to your world?" Nakazawa asked.

"I believe that that is something you have to see for yourself," Matsui said, sipping his tea. It tasted bitter for his standards, but he didn't want to try that new vitamin water. "Attraction is something that has to be done, not something that can simply be outlined like an essay or graphics chart. There is no schematic for attraction; there is only energy that impels a force almost like gravity towards you."

Goru scoffed then smirked and said, "Well said, father. He is also correct. I've done gigs that had specifics before, but a general audience is a very random and a very spontaneous species of people. In order to bring something completely fresh and original, I would have to be above and beyond customs that were started years before, the history of inspirational artists, the general public and their spontaneity would have to be in my shadow and that's practically impossible to accomplish. An artist is someone who creates something that - depending on its orientation - will either enlighten people to his or her world or cause a controversy. I can't change your preferences if I'm creating songs, artwork, or any other media that aren't within your boundaries; I can't force you to love me or my work since I have the liability of sounding racy to you unintentionally."

"So there is yet another potential show-star lacking a special emotion…"

Nakazawa turned his head and saw his friend and co-worker, Takenori Sawara, walking up to his table with a cup of freshly-brewed coffee in his right hand and some rolled up plans in his left arm. Sawara had a suspecting frown plastered on his face. He wasn't surprised by another love-lacking newcomer entering L.M.E., but he was in fact a little sympathetic to Nakazawa because Nakazawa would have to deal with another romance-hater. Well, that makes about four in the company, doesn't it? Hopefully, President Takarada, who was on his way, won't subject another newcomer into the Love Me Department. There were enough pickles in the jar with Kyoko Mogami and Kanae Kotonami as the two founding, or rather first, members as it stands. There's no telling what this other girl would add to the team. She seemed creepy enough just lighting a cigarette.

"Sorry, I came over here to tell you that the president wants to meet you all in Studio B in - oh, say…ten minutes before he gives you a lecture on promptness."

Nakazawa shouted and suddenly turned blue. He chugged his hot coffee down and gathered his belongings before rushing everyone - including Sawara, who had a previous engagement to attend to - to the elevator hall. Anyone within range of his rush rage was severely run over. That would explain the bodies of men and women flipping in mid-air like bowling pins down a slick bowling alley and the smoke left behind the speeding ball.

* * *

><p>"Is there any God-given reason why <em>I<em> got in this mess?" Sawara questioned, watching Nakazawa pant to catch his breath.

Goru and Matsui simply watched the entire scene in silence, not really knowing what to say. It wasn't like they had time to recuperate after being pushed at speeds of 85 miles an hour by man strength. Although, it was mentioned that Nakazawa was hardly ever late for any sort of meeting unless his work and personal life piled atop each other in ways unimaginable by regular human beings. The music industry was in dire need of someone as prompt as he was in L.M.E., which is why he was hired to scout and supervise anyone with singing and/or instrumental talent.

"You…are the…head…of the talent section," Nakazawa started, taking a deep breath. "Your judgment is just as good as the president's if not equal. It would help to evaluate Hiyashinsu-san's skills."

"Pardon my interruption, but - " Goru said, removing her red hat.

"A~riba!" a Spanish senorita said, rolling her tongue and stomping her feet.

A parade of Latin dancers entered the studio room with bongos, maracas, and guitars shouting happily. Splashes of reds, bright blues, greens, and pinks swarmed the spectators as men and women joyously hopped about and gyrated to the samba beats. Sawara and Nakazawa yelped in fear, but they weren't surprised by the flamboyance of their president, but they were surprised that Goru and Matsui were amazed by the entrance and were actually clapping. A woman popped a confetti gun and gained a bit of laughter from Matsui, which caused Goru to smile, and then rushed off to dance with her comrades. The president, Lory Takarada, entered the room in a yellow shirt with a ruffled collar and snug white pants. A rose stayed between his teeth as he came through the crowd of dancers with a bit of flamenco dancing in his strides. He spun around with an impressive grace then bowed. Goru and Matsui clapped for him, surprising Sawara, Nakazawa, and Lory himself. Most people were frightened by the boisterous appearances of the president, but they simply applauded his majesty of L.M.E.

"Is it international day in the company?" Goru asked, flipping her hair to show a lovely pair of soft blue eyes. "I wasn't prepared for the occasion."

"No," Sawara huffed, lifting his cup of coffee. "That's just how the president is."

"What an exciting young man!" Matsui complimented, chuckling. "International day must be a wonderful time here."

"Yeah, grandpa and I love cultural holidays," Goru said, nodding. "That was pretty cool!"

"Gracias, senora," Lory said, taking Goru's hand and kissing the back of it. "I mustn't forget to thank my other fan. Thank you, too, sir. I shall greet you both with a new presentation each time we meet!"

"That's completely unnecessary," Sawara and Nakazawa mumbled simultaneously.

"Sounds fantastic!" Matsui said, smiling brightly.

"Ne, President-san? Can you do that for my grandfather's birthday?" Goru asked. "He'll be 72 years young in a few months this spring."

"I would love to! I'll break out something even better and more glorious than today's," Lory said, growing excited by the idea.

"He doesn't want a heart attack on his birthday," Sawara and Nakazawa mumbled together.

"Arigato saiimase," Matsui said, bowing in respect. "But I am not as important as this young lady beside me. She is the one who wanted to meet with you all. I am just the old timer tagging along."

"Yes, Hiyashinsu Goru-san has been highly regarded by Nakazawa-san. I came to see your granddaughter do two things: one, complete her audition; two, complete her test," Lory said, looking at Matsui.

"A test, you say?" Matsui questioned, earning nods from the men.

"The test is part of the audition," Nakazawa answered. "The first part of the test is seeing how well Goru-san can create material and deliver its impact in one go. We'll start that now. In a real-world situation, suppose that you have completed your first album's debut and it has become so successful that people outside of Japan have shown favor to it as well. As you begin your second album, you are trying to outshine your first album by covering completely new ground. Your new material can't be the same as the old because it will sound like you're just trying to recreate the magic. So, Goru-san, think of a song that most represents you as an artist and a person and present it to us as though you were trying to erase of our minds of the first album's success. When you are ready, enter the door to your left into the recording area and we'll watch in here."

Goru nodded and headed straight for the door. Nakazawa and Sawara gasped, not expecting her to go on impulse. Takarada and Matsui sat in chairs, awaiting for Goru to begin her test. Goru placed the large headphones on her ears, took out her signed purple guitar, and cleared her throat. Nakazawa pushed a red button to speak through the P.A. system inside the recording area.

"Before you begin, what is the name of the song you will be singing?"

"Burn Crime," Goru answered, tuning her guitar. "I just came up with it. There was no title before. Good improv, huh?"

Goru smirked, tuned her guitar a bit more, and then struck some chords. It was a very slow tune with almost a sad, lost melody. Takarada was surprised by the emotions in the beginning - very soulful and confused all at once. It sounded like a blues tune, which hadn't been heard in L.M.E. for quite some time. Most of his employees starred in pop productions that happy people enjoyed. This was going toward something less happy, something dark, something another group of people would definitely enjoy more than pop music. If she had the right voice, she could do many soundtracks for those hardcore dark dramas with flat-out lust instead of good, old-fashioned love and romance. She'd be the epitome of a dark romance. As she played her intro, her voice poured in and confirmed Takarada's assumptions.

**Blue flames**

**A cool fire burns inside**

**Would it matter if you ran and hide?**

**Your world is shattered anyway**

**Leeches**

**Suck the zeal out of your soul**

**Whatever, I'm not supposed to know**

**The things you know so well**

'**Cause I'm a dirty girl with a bad rep**

**Can't have that**

**I'm a criminal**

**Been a bad, bad foreign gal**

**Traitorous in my avarice**

**Burn Crime**

**Burn Crime**

**Burn my grave straight to hell**

**You ripped my love right through my fingers **

**So you might as well**

**Burn Crime**

**Burn Crime**

**Burn my body ashes to the core**

**I'm a criminal**

**Been a bad, bad mix of a Jap**

**There's no solace in me left**

**Burn Crime**

**Burn Crime**

**You burned me twenty feet deep**

**I'm fourteen feet below**

**I know**

**I ain't supposed to have anymore control**

**Burn Crime**

**Burn Crime**

**Burn my heart like you burned my mind**

Matsui was quite proud; Nakazawa and Sawara were sold; Takarada…was crying dramatically. The most Goru saw from inside the booth was her grandfather handing the president a handkerchief. Sawara sighed once he saw the eccentric president moaning in his tears. He only did that for one reason: love was missing from Goru as an artist and a person. Burning was pretty violent on her part, so to burn a heart was just devastating and cruel. Who would burn a young lover's heart so viciously? The audacity!

_Yep… _Sawara thought. _I was right then. Another newbie full of anger. But isn't her genre kind of strange? It isn't along borderline of Japanese rock or visual kei. Although her fashion sense may touch on it, her singing does _not _have any sense of Japanese influence._

"I'll sign you…" Takarada said, sniffing his crushed dreams. He then put his professional mask on and hid any remnant of crushed anything that fell from his eyes. "On one condition, and that condition is to be a part of my new department in L.M.E. I know exactly what I want your first job to be."

_Yes… _Lory thought. _Her first job can be to guide that girl as a darker Setsu…_

"President, I have a question," Nakazawa said, raising his hand with a curious look. "Why does she have to be in the LoveMe section just to be signed? I didn't see any missing emotions from her."

_If anything, all I saw was emotion, _Nakazawa thought.

"She had love for something, but it wasn't for the audience," Lory answered, a stern look on his face. "It was for something far deeper. She had her audience in mind - that goes without saying; otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen those lyrics - but there's someone in the audience that she's calling out to. She's telling that person to die and give back what was hers. A powerful voice like that came from an angry soul, a very hateful one. There's no love for the audience in that soul, but it wouldn't be wise to get rid of such a forceful character. She can be as strong as a bomb if you don't watch her switches. That's the kind of musician I'd like to handle." Lory said smiling as Goru came in the room.


	3. The New LoveMe Member

"So what exactly is the LoveMe Department?" Goru asked, walking to the locker rooms of the department.

President Lory Takarada was known for many things: one, being eccentric; two, being a romanticist and so on. Nakazawa, the head of the music department, was following the president to the dreaded bright pink department as well. Goru and Matsui were close behind, but Takenori Sawara had left to make a call before his meeting. As the group followed their leader like little ducklings, Takarada had a very emotionless face as he thought things through. This was going to be the first time a LoveMe member received an assignment to help another LoveMe member who was supposed to be helping Japan's top actor. What if this was a bad idea? No! This had to work. If Goru Hiyashinsu wanted to be a beloved rock icon, and Kyoko Mogami wanted to be a top actress to overpower Fuwa Sho, they had to meet each other. They both want to defeat someone more than be loved wholly by the audience. This was probably destiny for them. The only obstacle in the way of Goru's first job was Tsuruga Ren. He was in the middle of shooting a movie, and Kyoko was supposed to be help him overcome Kuon Hizuri's shadow and forgive himself. There's really no reason for Goru to come into the picture. She wasn't an actress; she was a…

"Mr. President?" Goru called, noticing Lory walking passed the LoveMe Department's front door. "Are you okay? You seem to have lost your way."

"Oops!" Lory remarked, smiling sheepishly. "I was lost in thought for a moment. I couldn't contain my excitement."

_That didn't seem very excited…_ Nakazawa thought.

"Now then…" Lory started, clapping his hands. The president shoved Goru inside the department, earning a surprised 'eh,' and proceeded to open Kanae Kotonami's locker. As he opened it, Goru raised an eyebrow at the gaudy pink uniform and observed the clothing article. Lory continued as she stood still, "This is the LoveMe Department locker room. I have opened Kotonami Kanae's locker to show you the uniform of the department. The LoveMe Department is a group of young women who have a lost a very important emotion called love."

"A bit obvious in the name, but okay," Goru said, taking the uniform and measuring it to her neck. "I'm a size bigger, so about two sizes should fit me just right. This Kotonami is about a size two or three. Unfortunately, I'm a size four. About a six should do me justice."

"EH?" Nakazawa shouted as Lory silenced himself. She was willing to take the uniform without protest? He thought she would have a little more backbone and refuse! Nakazawa said, "M-m-matteyo! You're willing to accept this uniform openly? The other girls flat-out said no and complained about it, and you're telling me you're gonna wear without fail!"

"The president said the group consists of women who lost love; hence the name, LoveMe Department," Goru stated. "If he believes I lost love for something, it is for good reason. He seems like the type of person to explain these things in more thorough detail."

Lory gazed into Goru's blue eyes and frowned. She really is just accepting the terms! He sighed then said, "Ya know, you're really no fun at all."

"I've been told worse," Goru said, smirking. "That little comment you made was pretty weak compared to the names bestowed upon me. Disregarding your name-calling, I would like for you to explain the reason you want me to work in the LoveMe department."

"You already know why," Lory said, making a cuter frown than before.

"Because I lost love, but the love of what or for what?" Goru questioned.

"You've lost the love of freedom," Lory said, seriously.

He relished in Goru's eyes so full of expression in their watery depths and inwardly smirked on the comparison. Her eyes were very much like water. If the wind blew over the ocean softly, it would ripple and babble; if it blew in a rage, the ocean rise, crash, and kill; if it didn't blow at all, the ocean would become still and calm; if the wind blew just right - not turbulent or stagnant - the ocean would reach its end to the waterfall. His comment before was a stiff wind, so nothing changed in her pale oceans. Just now, however, he became a stronger wind. Her oceans rushed as high tides bringing a secret in a bottle to him. The message in the bottle may have been the answer to why she lost her love in the first place. If he could just reach out somehow…

"Your genre is embedded in rock n' roll, but your soul is something angrier, something filled with destruction," Lory said, adoring the tides in Goru's eyes. "That's punk, grunge, goth, acid rock, heavy metal, pure power metal where more energy is needed to debut. There are rock icons out there who have a love for being rebellious or a love for the days when they used to be rebels. The most famous rock icons people know today are the ones who had thousands of stories to tell in just their teenage years alone. Not counting the ones when they became adults and settled down to marry or start families. In your performance, I saw a piece of your story that brought me to tears. There was pain lingering in the crime you were implying, but there wasn't any energy to show me the story of that pain. To be a great rock icon, you have to love the story you're telling and how it made you the performer and person that you are. Love the pain like you were a masochist and be great."

Goru remained almost deadly still and brought a sudden fear into Lory's soul. He felt himself grow cold as he stared into Goru's eyes. The sacred bottle Lory was reaching out for suddenly pulled back and a raging tide captured him while he hunched over to retrieve that precious bottle. Her oceans trapped him as he foolishly reached out for the secret and forced him down a maelstrom. He could almost feel ice like he was drowning in slush water or drowning to the depths of the water before meeting the glacier spikes below the whirlpool. Lory blinked and suddenly he was back in the LoveMe department - not dead and not drowning.

"I see," Goru said, easing her eyes shut. "I understand what you're saying. I'll work as hard as I can to regain that love through your instruction as you see fit, Takarada-sensei. Please take care of me. Every sailor needs a lighthouse, ne?"

Goru opened her eyes again and smiled quite darkly at him, eyes fogging with a mysterious gloom. Lory's eyes widened at the metaphor, realizing that she knew what he was trying to do. She brought him close enough to the answers of her past, dragged him down to his end, and rescued him from death all inside her oceans. If he wanted to know about the secret bottle drifting in her oceans, he had to wait for her to give it to him at his lighthouse. He understood all of that, but who was going to provide the fire for her to see the lighthouse? It was final then. Goru had to meet Kyoko, and he knew exactly why they should meet. Now the question was how to get her involved in a film with actors since she was supposed to be going for a rock icon.

_That girl might be the key to getting to that secret…_ Lory thought. _I…will not give up on finding out the answers…_

"Yes," Lory said, smiling confidently. "That is true."

Matsui yawned audibly then said, "Pardon my rudeness, but I wish to be off. Goru is my only means of transportation right now. I don't mean to rush you because I know this is very important, but I have a doctor's appointment soon."

"Oh, already?" Goru questioned, looking at her watch. "Yeah, we have about twenty minutes left. Well, would it be okay to receive the rest of the details once I return? I know this is hardly professional, and we're in the middle of business, but I do have an obligation to my family."

"Yes, I would love to continue our discussion soon," Lory said. "I would like for you to report to your first job this evening if it can be arranged. We'll write up a contract and discuss more with you when you get back."

"Arigato, sir," Goru and Matsui said, bowing and showing themselves out.

Once the Hiyashinsu's were gone, Nakazawa turned to Lory and noticed his worried expression. He asked, "Is something wrong, president?"

"She'll be a great artist, Nakazawa," Lory whispered, watching Goru leave. "You picked the perfect time bomb this time."

"Hai!" Nakazawa said, happily. "Oh, what's her job going to be as a new LoveMe member, sir?"

"She'll be an assistant on the film set with Tsuruga."

"Oh, that doesn't seem to h - MATTEYO!" Nakazawa shouted. "She's gonna do that kind of work already?"

"Yes," Lory said, raising an eyebrow at the boisterous man. "Her first job as an artist will be to record a soundtrack for Tsuruga-san's new film. Make sure you get the papers ready for that. Her first job as a LoveMe member is to be backup for her senior, Mogami-san."

* * *

><p>"Yashiro-san?" Kyoko called, sitting in her hotel room. "Yashiro-san?"<p>

_I wonder what happened to the phone… _Kyoko thought. _The only time the phone cuts off is when I record a message. What the hell happened over there? _

"Guess there's no use in asking what happened to Tsuruga-san," Kyoko whispered, sighing. "Maybe I'm worrying too mu - eh? My phone's ringing. Hm, it's from the office?"

_Who would be calling me now? _Kyoko thought.

"Moshi-mosh?" Kyoko greeted.

**How's everything going over there, Mogami-san?**

"Oh, President Takarada!" Kyoko said. "Is something wrong?"

**Why would something be wrong if I call you?**

"Half the time something is wrong if you call me," Kyoko mumbled. "I was just wondering if everything was alright."

**Well, I wanted to let you know that there's someone quite special coming to help you out at the film location. I wanted you to meet her.**

"Oh, a woman?" Kyoko questioned. "Why do you want me to meet her?"

**You LoveMe women are all just boring creatures. Can't you be a little more excited?**

"Well, doesn't curiosity account for excitement, sir?"

…**Ya know, I can always fire you for lack of commitment.**

"NO!" Kyoko shouted, causing the wires and satellite to cry at her shrieks.

Lory backed away from his cell phone as Kyoko's voice echoed through the entire L.M.E. building. Kyoko's grudges even sparked to life whispering about her crushed dreams. Destroying Shotaro, crushing Vie Ghoul for the bastards they are, becoming a superstar, creating a new person within her, and being someone everyone would want to hire. All of that would be tarnished, even learning more about acting from Tsuruga-san! Kanae might even abandon her if she were forced to leave now!

"I want to know more about this woman you want me to meet! Honestly, I do! Please tell me more about her!" Kyoko pleaded, trying her best to be excited.

**Just because you have some acting experience doesn't mean you can use your skills on me…**

"No acting skills are involved!" Kyoko screamed in desperate anguish. "I promise you! Nothing of the sort! I want to know about this woman!"

**Alright, I'll tell you! See how exciting this can be if you just show a little enthusiasm? Now then, to tell you the truth, this woman is quite an interesting character - just like you actually. The only difference is that she's quite a scare when you get her riled up. She's a new member in the LoveMe department and the only one available to take LoveMe jobs, so I thought it would be nice to meet the person who will be alleviating the department's stress for the time being.**

Kyoko was silent at this and suddenly she began chuckling a little. The president wasn't exactly sure if her cynical laughter was the reaction he was hoping for, but it certainly gave him an eagerness in his heart. Any form of happiness can provoke him into saying anything.

**I don't know what that laughter means, but I have so much more to tell you. Unfortunately, it'll have to wait until some time tonight. I hope you answer my phone call promptly. Can I count on you?**

"Yes, president!" Kyoko said cheerfully, hanging up the phone.

All of that just to tell me another LoveMe member has been born and even threatening to fire me? Kyoko thought. Just as quickly as her thoughts of being fired had come, she collapsed onto her bed and wanted desperately to go to sleep. Although she did want to know what was wrong with Tsuruga, she couldn't possibly pry any further with bloodshot eyes and a weary body. Without another thought, she drifted off to sleep and hoped nothing was going to happen to Tsuruga while she was sleeping.


	4. The Destined Meeting

She stretched her arms high above her head and heard her bones cracking. Her back curved in a reverse bend and audible cracking was heard again. Goru took a steady inhale of cold breath through her teeth then exhaled deeply. She was ready as she was ever going to be as the new member of the LoveMe department in the record company L.M.E. Of course, no new journey starts with an easy submission. Her new supervisors, Nakazawa and Takarada, may have thought she accepted wearing the gaudy pink overalls without protest, but she was beyond revolting against her uniform articles of clothing. She didn't respond to the uniform before because she thought it would have made her seem ungrateful. Takarada had every reason not to accept her. One, she was in the rock n' roll genre and not pop; two, she gave him a bit of a scare when she threatened him nonverbally, mind you. However, since the LoveMe department was a neon pink adorned group, Goru was going to have to give this department a little more edge and rebel's personality.

_Good thing grandpa wanted to go home_, Goru thought. _Otherwise, I might've started flailing on this piece of shit fashion_.

Goru took out a small black duffel bag and pulled out some accessories to make her stand out but feel normal simultaneously. First, she took out a graffiti hat and wore it lopsided on her head. The LoveMe sticker was redesigned to her standards: skeleton fingers protruded up and out and very seductive red lips whispered gothic letters of "Love Me" below the skeleton claw. While she was observing Kanae Kotonami's uniform, she memorized the exact design of the LoveMe sticker. Once she got home, it was all in the spray cans and stencil work. The next accessory to come out was a matching set of pink and black striped knee-high socks and a long-sleeved lace top. She put these things on and then put a black top with the LoveMe sticker over the lace top. The overalls were next, but she made some modifications again to feel like herself and a part of the LoveMe department. It was all a matter of style and showing off at this point in the game.

"Guess I should put some make-up on," Goru mumbled to herself. "I hope I brought the blood glitter and joy set."

Goru dug into her duffel bag, searching for her cosmetics box, and found what she was looking for. Within ten minutes, she was completely done with her look. Going in front of a mirror, Goru took a step back and felt proud of her changes. Thank the genius who invented graffiti cans!

"Ah, are you rea - eh? Eh!" Nakazawa shouted. "Eh? EH!"

_She looks like the demon seductress of the LoveMe section! _Nakazawa thought, backing away from Goru. _What is this woman? _

"Sir?" Goru questioned, nonchalantly.

"What are you wearing? Did the president give that to you?" Nakazawa questioned, tapping his foot with impatience.

"Well, I'm wearing the uniform as agreed," Goru started, trying to state the obvious. "I just thought I'd accessorize a little bit."

"A LoveMe uniform doesn't have she-devils and skeletons as part of the design! It's as plain and normal as a plain and normal uniform can get."

"Oh… I thought you always had to stand out in the industry. The uniform was a step, so I took a leap."

_More like a mile along the path of no return! _Nakazawa argued, finding the metaphor fitting for Goru.

"Well, maybe the she-devil is a bit much," Goru mumbled, tugging on her hat. "Cherubs are more normal. Dammit! I should've thought about graffiti angel babies earlier. Well, maybe when I get home I can stock up on my graffiti collection? Ah, but I left my phantom dust box in the garage."

_Phantom dust box? _Nakazawa thought, imagining the grim reaper taking graveyard dust from a burial ground. The reaper turned to Nakazawa with glowing red eyes and moved his cloak to reveal Nakazawa's own gravesite! He shivered and exercised profusely to regain the warmth in his body. Luckily, Goru wasn't paying attention as she kept listing different names of her graffiti can collection. _This woman must be a she-devil in disguise! Working for death even!_

"Well, it can't be helped now, " Goru said, easing her eyes shut. "Ne, Nakazawa-san? Where am I going to do my first LoveMe assignment? Takarada-sensei said he had to call in to let the staff know."

"Ah!" Nakazawa chirped, erasing his reaper-she-devil vision with a white graffiti can. What he wouldn't kill for some normal white-out. "You're going to be on the Tragic Maker set. The first LoveMe member will be there waiting to meet with you, I think. Your job will be to aide her. It's a pretty simple task. You'll probably be getting other jobs too if you're lucky. The more you get, the faster you'll be able to debut. Also, do you have your special notebook?"

_Feels like an episode of Blue's Clues… _Goru thought, humming the Blue's Clues theme song slowly and sounding more death-like. _Yo, Steve, I got my handy-dandy…notebook! Yeah, notebook, that's right! Oh god, I have got to stop remembering shit like that!_

"Yeah, I got it," Goru answered, flatly. Like Nakazawa would understand how she knows Blue's Clues. "You said this was for having a record of my points and comments."

"Right," Nakazawa replied. "The book is like a photo album. Every job you complete well will earn you just enough points to have a debut organized by the president himself. Any deductions you get will definitely prolong your debut. Try not to make any trouble on the job, okay?"

"Got it."

_A destined meeting between two women whose boxes were opened by the sacred key… Will they help each other… or tear each other apart…? What about Kyoko, the good luck charm for Tsuruga…? Is that man's situation so bad that her power won't be enough to resurrect him from his darkness…?_

* * *

><p><em>Little fairies were using their magic powers to stop them. Water, fire, earth, air, winter, sun, all the elements were trying their hardest to fight off the tree cutters. Blades, massive and sharp, had blood and fairy dust clinging to its edges. Cranes, tall and ominous, overlooked the forest and creaked ever so menacingly. It was a survival to the fittest, the epic battle of all epic battles. Suddenly, a flicker of darkness invaded the sky and somehow stopped the war between the fairies and the forest destroyers. The beautiful fairy queen gasped and chanted something to try to stop the growing darkness. Then… a large grandfather clock and death's eyes came to sweep it all away.<em>

_"Kyoko…" the darkness whispered, "I want her… Bring her to me…"_

_"No!" a familiar fairy cried. "You can't have her!"_

_"Impudent boy!" Death hissed. "Until you bring to me Kyoko… your world will perish!"_

* * *

><p><strong>BOOM!<strong>

"Corn, NOOOO!" Kyoko exclaimed, waking from her slumber. She realized she was in her hotel room and noticed it was ringing. "Oh… I must have taken a short nap. I wonder what time it is."

Kyoko looked at her cell phone's time and grew oddly silent. She tried to reason with herself, but it was certain she had fallen asleep and left Tsuruga-senpai alone for over three hours. She let out a horrible scream that was enough to wake Death from its slumber. Kyoko quickly grabbed her things and ran out of the hotel suite and to the nearest staircase. Running would certainly wake her up further, but…

"NOO!" Kyoko shouted, stopping and slapping her face. "I can't believe I just left and expected to show up before Tsuruga-san with sleeping breath. He'll think I'm an inconsiderate kouhai and scold me for being late as well as for having bad breath! Oh…wait…that's right. Setsu would never be this over-reactive. Even the Heel siblings have standards. What happened to being a true actress?"

_But you know, Tsuruga-san has been behaving stranger than I have and I still haven't found out why… _Kyoko thought. _Even though I'm supposed to just believe in him and act as Setsu… I don't know… Wait a minute… Oh shit! I don't know which way I went! How did I lose my way that fast?_

Kyoko's cell phone rang right in the middle of her mental disposition and startled her a moment. She dug in her pocket for the phone and answered, "Eh, moshi-mosh?"

**Ah, Kyoko-san.**

"Mr. President!" Kyoko responded.

**I brought the new LoveMe member to the studio. Can you maybe try to help her find Studio D? I'm sorry to have to drop her off without saying anything, but something unexpected came up so I couldn't meet with you personally this time. However, I will meet with all of you later to make the proper arrangements and introduce you formally.**

"Hai, I'll try to find her, but Tsuruga-san…"

**Hmph! That man will be just fine… Anyway, she'll be relatively easy to find. She's wearing the pink uniform today! You'll recognize her immediately!**

"Okay, Mr. President," Kyoko answered, not knowing what to make of Takarada's attitude toward Ren Tsuruga. "I guess I'll go check the lobby first just in case."

**Good girl! Call me once you find her, okay?**

Kyoko said her farewell to the president and went the opposite way down the hall to go to the studio's lobby. She was growing anxious from her anticipation. Kyoko was actually showing a fonder interest in who this new LoveMe member was. She wanted to skip down the hallway to bring down this new member and show her she would not escape so easily from her gasp if she tried to leave the dreaded department of L.M.E. But how did this woman get suckered into the pink clad group? She must've said something so horrible when the president asked her about love like...

_Takarada: "So what do you feel when you hear the word love?"_

_New girl: "The world is a dark place with such sugar-coated lies. No one has love for true love except people who fantasize about love."_

_Takarada: "You insolent woman! You are hereby sentenced to life with LoveMe section! To the pink room!"_

_New Girl: "But - but - but! NOOOOO!"_

Yeah, perfect portrayal of a LoveMe girl. Suddenly, she noticed someone walking towards her in an odd way. This wouldn't be the first time people approached her out of no where, but her heart was racing for some odd reason. The person was definitely a woman and she was reading a paper, but the uniform said it all. The LoveMe member was walking through the hallway and reading the directions on the paper. She looked up occasionally to see if she was going the right way and sighed whenever she spotted something. Maybe she was upset because she was lost? Poor thing.

"Hmm…" the woman hummed. "At the end of the hallway, make a right when you pass some double doors then continue on your left until you see a stairwell." She bumped into a person then said, "Oops. Sorry, I - "

"Lost yourself, girl?" Kyoko said, trying to sound like Setsu but really smiled like her plotting self. "You should be careful in these parts. You could hurt yourself. We wouldn't want such a precious woman to hurt herself." The woman fell silent as she watched Kyoko emanate a dark aura, but she only sighed and ignored her as she continued to search the halls. Kyoko chirped an 'eh,' wondering how she was ignored so boldly, then turned to the woman and said, "H - hey! Don't ignore me when I'm talking to - "

The woman turned to face Kyoko (or more like Setsu) and shot her a very ominous glare that frightened Kyoko spot on. Her soul felt like it was burning - it was being engulfed in flames! Kyoko's grudges popped out of her head and chanted its love of the ghostly aura and wanting to befriend this presence, but the flames soon consumed them and perished. Kyoko, however, was more confused than ever. Why did this woman become so angry with her? She didn't really do anything except talk. Plus, her style was an ideal Setsu style. She thought she could probably connect with her. How did it turn out like this?

"Now that you're quiet, I can finally concentrate on getting to my first LoveMe assignment in peace," the woman hissed. Suddenly, not knowing why, Kyoko watched her smile. She scoffed then said, "Unless, you wanted something. If you were starting a fight, you've got my attention now. Of course, that's if you don't mind getting a few nails broken… Oh, you're still silent? What happened to that little bout of darkness you had before?"

Kyoko's eyes widened, realizing that the woman felt her grudges trying to capture her. Her anger and hatred was so much more intense that it brought her own grudges in fear and death. This was no ordinary LoveMe member! She was far scarier than any of the LoveMe members combined!

"Sounds like you're done pissing me off," the woman said, returning to normal and cooling her flames down. The grudges were brought back to life and rested in Kyoko's head once again to keep away from the deadly woman. She smiled gently then said, "If you'll excuse me, I have a studio to look for. Try not to pick on other people who lose their way, 'kay kid?"

_She was angry… _Kyoko thought, _because she thought I was picking on her? I really should apologize for that, but is this the reason she was brought to LoveMe? Because of her temper?_

"Wait, miss!" Kyoko called, not acting like Setsu but herself this time. "I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding. I'm Mogami Kyoko, the first LoveMe member of LME."

The woman fell silent and chirped a small 'eh' before laughing. She said, "Wow, didn't think I'd meet one so soon! Especially in a style like mine. Where's your uniform by the way?"

"Ah!" Kyoko chirped, surprised by how beautiful the woman looked laughing even in her dark fashion. "I'm on assignment right now, so I have to wear these clothes. Where was your first assignment going to be?"

"Well, my original assignment was helping a LoveMe member on this set," the woman answered. "On my way to find you, the staff gave me a side job to help out at Studio B. I'm looking for that studio now. Once I finish that job, I have another side job at the studio lobby. After that's all said and done, it's back to finding you again. Nakazawa-san of the music department said he'd come with the president to give me a small gig for the movie production soundtrack here."

"Anou?" Kyoko questioned. "Soundtrack?"

"Yeah, Takarada and Nakazawa agreed to let me write some theme songs for the movie being filmed here," the woman answered, smirking confidently. "It'd be pretty sweet if I got even a little recognition for my work! But enough about all that. Would you happen to know where Studio B is?"

"No, I just know where Studio D and the lobby is. I can at least help you find it, though."

"Sure it's okay?" the woman asked. "I mean, you're still on assignment. And I don't want you to end up lost with horrible directions like me. Besides, I gave you a bit of a scare back there. You were pretty stiff."

"No, it just confused me," Kyoko reassured. "You seemed so angry at me."

"Nah, I got pissed because I was lost for the third time since lunch break. Getting into a fight now would definitely ruin my chances of debuting, but I was angry enough. If you hadn't stopped bitching, I would've landed the first hit."

_Wait, so she was really going to fight me? _Kyoko thought, going pale in the face.


	5. Rise of the SheDevil: Guro

_I hope Tsuruga-san won't be too angry with me for helping the new LoveMe girl_, Kyoko thought. The new LoveMe member punched a wall and took a deep breath. Kyoko's grudges had come back to life as they surrounded the angry woman. Of course, they were lost for the sixth time. _Then again, I hope this woman doesn't take her rage out on every wall! If she loses things to hit, I might be next!_

Kyoko felt sorry for the poor woman before her. After they cleared the misunderstanding between them, the woman decided to ask an employee for revised directions. She and Kyoko understood them clearly, yet they ended up in the same spot where they met. It was like going back to square one! Finally having enough of being lost, the woman felt it was time to unleash her rage and went to banging everything that seemed neat and tidy. In a way, she was like a childish version of Setsuka Heel.

_If Setsu knew her brother wasn't looking, would she be just as expressive on her own?_ Kyoko thought, watching the woman vent. _Even the way she was before is different, though. She was happy to know I was another victim of pink circumstances (_**E/N: What's that mean? :-(**_) and showed such a likable person. Now that she's angry, she's…totally like a menace to society!_

"God dammit to hell! What is the fucking problem with these directions?" the woman complained, leaning on a wall. "This had better be some kind of a joke or I'm kicking someone's ass."

_She really is planning to take me out!_ Kyoko panicked. _A fresh wall! A fresh wall! Why are we near beaten walls?_

"Ah, well," the woman huffed. "Maybe I should go over these directions one more time. I screwed up somewhere. I know it."

"What's the directions say?" Kyoko asked, peeking over the woman's shoulder to read the little sheet of paper.

The woman showed Kyoko the paper then looked down the hall to see a sign. She chirped, "Eh?"

"Ah?" Kyoko responded, looking at the woman. She didn't seem all that bad when you ignored her vicious temper; in fact, her smile was quite lovable. She was pretty enough to be an actress, but she said she was doing movie soundtracks. She'd make a cute pop star, though, and not the diva kind either. Ignoring her observations, Kyoko questioned the woman and asked, "What's wrong, nee-san?"

"Ah, nee-san?" the woman repeated, raising an eyebrow at Kyoko's nickname. She gasped, realizing she didn't introduce herself before. What horrible etiquette! "Oh! No, no! My name is Hiyashinsu Goru-san. I'm sorry I didn't even say my name after you told me yours. I'm such a bitch."

"I would never call you that!" Kyoko says, holding Goru's hands to her chest. "Eh?" Kyoko chirped, realizing where she put Goru's hands. She quickly released the woman's hands and blushed cutely at her behavior. She said, "Besides I was so mean to you before, using my acting skills when you were lost."

Goru chuckled then calmly said, "Nah, it's cool, imouto-chan." Goru watched Kyoko's face brighten up at the nickname and smiled warmly. She then turned to look at the sign and remembered why she questioned it before. "Mogami-imouto-chan?"

"Hai?" Kyoko responded, almost immediately.

_Eh?_ Kyoko thought. _Why does it feel more natural to be her little sister than it does for me and Tsuruga-san? Could it be…she's…like a big sister…to me? (**E/N: In denial there, Kyoko-chan. Poor Ren...**) No, no, no! That can't be it! We just met, and even so Tsuruga-san is my older brother, even if Setsu has that weird complex and even if Tsuruga-san is acting like a weird brother himself. That doesn't make any sense!_

"This is gonna sound weird and it seems like you're deep in thought," Goru started, looking directly into Kyoko's eyes.

Kyoko chirped an 'eh' then waved her hands frantically a bit before saying, "Ah, no, no. I was just wondering how such a simple direction can be so misleading."

"Then this should be easy. Do me a favor and cover your ears for your onee-san," Goru whispered darkly, awakening Kyoko's grudges once more. Once she saw Kyoko plug her eyes with her fingers curiously, Goru proceeded to shout, "You MOTHERFUCKERS!"

* * *

><p>"Ah, the LoveMe girl!" a jittery man bowed.<p>

Goru and Kyoko were inside of Studio B after Goru's enraged outburst. Her reason for screaming so viciously? They were standing next to Studio B's door the entire time. Goru was never lost; she just didn't see the sign for the studio. That obviously was enough to piss her off. Kyoko was in awe of the work that was going around for the studio. According to the jittery guy, a music video was being filmed for some pop star named Kiho to promote a new single. Goru's job was to tend to Kiho and answer her beck and call whenever she needs something. Kyoko gathered all the details of the job and suddenly was reminded of being Hizuri's caretaker for his stay in Japan. It pretty much had the same aura.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Do you have any idea how much that costs? How do you plan to replace this?"

Or so she thought…

"I - I - I -I'm so-sorry, Kiho-sama," a frail, young man apologized, frightened of the large bodyguards guarding the important pop star.

Kiho was a young, new talent in the pop business and quite well-known for her attachment to striped and frilly fashion. Today, she was wearing orange and yellow striped stockings, tall brown pumps, a frilly yellow skirt, regular yellow halter top with a striped orange and brown kitten on the front, and a striped orange and brown kitten hat. She was said to be no more than 20 and rumored to be as snobby as a five-year-old. Kyoko looked at Goru, hoping the tempers wouldn't clash right then, but she saw something completely different and almost evil. Goru glared at Kiho and emanated a thick aura that could smother anything in its radius. Kyoko just so happened to be within range of the thickness. However, she knew this aura in a way; although faint at first, this was Goru when she was angry and ready to fight.

"If you're so sorry, replace what you broke or I'll break your legs as compensation," Kiho threatened, the bodyguards punching their open palms with their paw-like fists.

"Hai, right away!" the young man said, bowing and running to replace something that broke.

Kyoko found that she was going to have a bit of a problem with this Kiho woman just as much as Goru would. Why do people like Kiho exist anyway? The jittery man from before ran to Kiho and informed her of Goru's presence. Once Kiho turned to see Goru and Kyoko, she pushed the man out of the way and walked up to them both. She stood akimbo as she faced the two women until she turned her gaze to Goru. She measured her up and down then folded her arms.

"You're a LoveMe girl, huh?" Kiho questioned.

"You dare ignore my imouto-chan," Goru whispers, aura returning to thicken around Kiho.

"Your imouto-chan?" Kiho questions, looking at Kyoko.

"Problem with that?" Kyoko replies, using her Setsu to speak.

"You…" Kiho started, keeping her gaze with Goru, "you are…TOO COOL! I've never seen anyone so dark and bloodthirsty and mysterious! It's like a perfect combination of blood and chocolate, vampires and succubus, the holy and the hell bound, demons and saints! You are…a true Kurai Kogo!¹"

_Ku-kurai k-kogo…?_ Goru and Kyoko thought in shock of Kiho's new behavior. _Wait a minute…don't tell me… she has a thing for darkness!_

"I've never met a Kurai Kogo in person, but I absolutely must get to know you!" Kiho announces, again surprising Goru and Kyoko. "Come to dinner with me!"

"EH?" Goru and Kyoko shouted.

"A Kurai Kogo shouldn't meddle with such idle tasks like taking care of me. I have these retards to do that," Kiho said, making Goru angry once more. Kyoko was almost getting happy that Goru found a new punching target. Kiho's face would make an excellent bulls eye. "You have much more class than these people."

"Are you quite through?" Goru hissed, silencing Kiho.

An overwhelmingly dark aura emanated off Goru's body and captured Kiho. Kyoko could practically imagine Satan's forger banging metal stakes into Kiho's feet with his hammer. His massive claws holding Kiho's shoulder and the anvil floor to steady his impacts on the stakes. Kyoko's grudges were bowing before their ultimate ruler as he pounded away at the stakes securing Kiho's place. Kiho's bodyguards were approaching Goru to save Kiho, noting that she was shaking profusely, but they stopped as the Satan forger turned and banged stakes into their feet. Goru's aura was growing fiercer, trapping anyone who got in the way. Kyoko was afraid to get closer to Goru to stop her, so she let the situation be. That forger wasn't about to smash her feet with demon stakes. The pop star was shivering from fear and anticipation as she gazed into Goru's burning eyes.

"Because I have had enough of your bullshit. All these people work very hard to help you get your reputation and you treat them like dirt under your fingernails. People like you…disgust me. You're not worth a second thought." In a flash, the aura surrounding Goru and Kiho was gone and a beautiful smile replaced Goru's death sneer. The Satan forger opened his massive wings and flew away leaving the stakes in place of its captives. Goru said, "But my job is to only serve you, Kiho-sama, and I will to the best of my abilities as a LoveMe member, ne? So what's my first job, Kiho-sama?"

_Why…why can't I feel my legs?_ Kiho thought. _What was that god-like aura?_

"Your first job?" Kiho muttered, frozen to the ground.

"Ne, nee-san," Kyoko called, using Setsu to the fullest now. "She's not gonna talk. Let's just leave her there and go home."

"No, no, imouto-chan," Goru responded, waving a finger at Kyoko. "That just won't do. I was called to care for Kiho-sama, and that's exactly what I'll do. What's with your impatience all of a sudden?"

"It's obvious she's gonna end up being trouble," Kyoko said, frowning at the frozen girl and guards. "You wouldn't have spoken to her like that if she wasn't being a both - eh?"

Goru shuffled Kyoko's hair - wig's hair, mind you - and smiled mischievously. She said, "Don't worry so much, imouto-chan. It'll be fine. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be working , too? You'll disappoint your client if you're not there to help him, and that simply won't do as a LoveMe member. Your points could be deducted."

* * *

><p><em>Okay, I think I'm going to cut this chapter short for now. I haven't been staying updated on the Skip Beat manga, so I'll see how to continue this once I've caught up. I have a feeling I'm gonna have to change something from my story; I can just taste the re-editing I'll have to do, and I do NOT like that taste. That is the taste of doom.<em>

_On a later note, the nickname "Kurai Kogo" that the pop star, Kiho, gave to my character, Goru Hiyashinsu means "dark empress." She was basically matching up the she-devil style that Goru had with Goru herself. I thought a good running gag for Goru would be that everyone calls her something related to a she-devil because everyone seems to equate her vicious temper with the mark of death like Kyoko did._

_Also, the E/N thing means "editor's note."_

_And one last thing before I close out. Due to a writer's bloc, I would like to ask if the audience can offer some suggestions. You don't have to throw ideas around for me to juggle, but just a few things you would maybe like to see. For example, if you would like to see my character, Goru, and Kyoko work together with helping Ren, that'd be fantastic. Or, if you would like Goru to try to steal Kyoko from Ren or vice versa, that'd be splendid too. Anything in general is welcome._


	6. Rise of the SheDevil: birth of Setsu

I'm all caught up with the Skip Beat manga chapters, so I can continue this story with my head held up high. I'd like to make a simple note on a crazy little typo I did. My character's name for this story is Guro Hiyashinsu not Goru. I mixed up the vowels for the past three or four chapters, and I'm ashamed of myself because it's a character I made up and even I got her name messed up. It's so sad... But enough about that. Please enjoy this new chapter and feel free to leave any comments or questions on the story.

* * *

><p>Kyoko began to worry about Guro for some reason. Sure, she had to take care of Tsuruga-san, but Guro was a bigger threat to society than Cain Heel. Kyoko couldn't necessarily pick it out, but... Guro was more impulsive and naturally so than Tsuruga. When did Cain Heel ever show anger for something other than Murasame or that band of thugs? Plus, he only got angry because he was protective of Setsu; Guro got angry for the elements around her. She seemed so much more rebellious and exciting somehow. Then, a thought came to Kyoko.<p>

_You know, Guro-nee-san never said if she was an actress or not_, Kyoko thought, sipping a cup of tea. _She only mentioned her name to me_.

"You've been thinking a lot lately," Ren said, snapping Kyoko out of her thoughts.

Kyoko looked up from her cup and hummed in response to Tsuruga. Of course, they were alone so they could speak Japanese to each other. Kyoko then wondered if Tsuruga would like to meet Guro, but when does Tsuruga ever have the time to greet the suffering souls of the LoveMe department?

"What, a darling little sister can't worry about her nii-san?" Kyoko said, using her Setsu voice. Suddenly, something came out of Kyoko that felt unfamiliar and strange. It wasn't a spirit of Mio, her grudges, her Natsu soul, or really anything that she knew. It was alien and scary. A dark, mischievous sort of chuckle poured from her lips as she said, "You're so cruel to me, nii-san."

Tsuruga gasped at Kyoko's new behavior then returned to his normal state. Even Kyoko had some inner turmoil going on in her mind. She didn't want Ren to see those emotions running through her head, but somehow Ren kind of figured that she was going balistic. After all, he has been around Kyoko for a while and he kind of knows the type of person she is. Why wouldn't she freak out at her becoming Setsu Heel? However, she didn't express her shock and simply returned to a calmer Setsu as she sipped on her tea.

Several knocks were heard at the door to Ren's or rather Cain Heel's dressing room. Kyoko stood up from her chair and walked over to the door to answer it. As she opened the door, a very familiar face came into view that even dragged Ren out of his character: President Lory Takarada! He was all smiles and dressed in that horrible 80s biker boy style. Leave it to the president to have a weird fashion sense. Kyoko also noticed three other people behind the president, one being the most familiar: Nakazawa of the singing department. Whoever the other two people were sure had their work cut out for them if they were dealing with the president the entire day.

"So, how's everything going? Made any progress?" Lory asked, directing the questions to Ren more than Kyoko.

"Um, President-san," Kyoko called, whispering to Lory. She stood on her tiptoes to reach Lory's ear and whispered something that no one else could hear.

"Oh, it's fine," Lory responded, tapping Kyoko's nose. "We can all speak Japanese now. Takeo, close that door for me. This is a private matter now."

"Ah, president, what about Hiyashinsu-san?" Nakazawa asked.

"She's working right now, so we'll wait. You sent her a text didn't you?"

"Yes, but..."

"Ah, I met Guro-nee-san earlier today!" Kyoko said, smiling brightly.

Lory looked into Kyoko's smiling face and instantly got an idea. Honestly, he didn't catch anything other than the fact that Kyoko said "nee-san" rather than Hiyashinsu-san like everyone else was saying, and that means that Guro was quite friendly with Kyoko and possibly closer to her than anyone else. The fact about Guro is simple: everyone finds her dangerous and scary but exciting at the same time and unusual. Kyoko might have gotten close to that sacred bottle in Guro's deadly ocean without being swept into the darker depths. That was the extra push he needed to discovering why Guro lost her love of freedom! He just needed a way for Kyoko to interact with Guro more, but how could he keep them together?

"That's great!" Lory said, escaping his thoughts. "No one else has called her by her first name before, so you're exceptionally close to her than the rest of us."

"Actually, we don't know anything about each other than our names," Kyoko said, shocking everyone.

"Then why did you call her Guro-nee-san?" Lory questioned.

"Well, when I found her in the hallway, she got lost and was really upset. Since I was supposed to be in character as Setsuka Heel, I made her even angrier but I apologized and we cleared up our misunderstandings. We looked for the studio she was supposed to be working at together and I called her onee-san out of respect because she didn't say her name at first. She told it to me in the end and allowed me to call her nee-san. She calls me imouto-chan in return. I think she's really sweet for someone with a vicious temper," Kyoko explained, blushing and smiling gently.

Ren smiled at Kyoko's explanation and felt inwardly jealous, which was strange because the nee-san she's referring to is a woman, but he overlooked it as something silly. Why would a man be jealous of a woman with a bad temper?

"I think she even helped me portray a better Setsu a while ago," Kyoko said, shocking Ren. "Ne, president-san, is Guro-nee-san an actress?"

_Hoho_, Lory thought. _This has gotten interesting_.

"No," Nakazawa answered. "Hiyashinsu-san is a musician. She might have some experience with acting, but it shouldn't hurt to ask her. Many new singers and idols have theatrics in their performances, so maybe she knows something."

"Ah, she's a musician?" Kyoko questioned, thinking to herself. "Maybe that's why she said that... Oh, well! I hope she's doing okay in that other studio. But now I'm curious, why is she working on film sets for actors? Shouldn't she be with other - ? Eh?"

_Uh-oh_, Kyoko thought. _ I forgot she's working on set with a pop idol. That stupid Kiho girl. I hope Guro-nee-san doesn't do anything risky. Her debut might be in jeopardy because of that temper. I can't believe I left HER alone like that! She needs someone to put her in check._

"Mogami-san?" Tsuruga called, snapping Kyoko out of her panic mode. "I don't think you should worry too much. If she wasn't going to be able to handle a job on her own, she wouldn't have made it in LME in the first place. I'm sure she'll be fine."

A knock and a ring tone interrupted the conversation. Nakazawa took out his cell phone and read the message before his face turned blue. He closed his phone with a snap and turned to open the door. Lory beheld the sight of Guro Hiyashinsu in her uniform and smiled mischievously. Kyoko had a bright smile on her face once she saw the new LoveMe member entering the room.

"Guro-nee-san!" Kyoko called, surprising Guro and making her smile. "Are you done with your first assignment already?"

"Hai," Guro said, taking out her notebook. She scratched her cheek as she showed Kyoko the notebook. She got a full 100 points from Kiho and some good comments, but the penalty stamp was on the page too; in fact, five penalty stamps were on the page.

"What happened, nee-san? You got fifty points," Kyoko said.

"Well... it all happened when my job was done and the video was like done right?" Guro started. "After getting the 100 mark from Kiho and her compliments, she asked if I would like to go out to dinner with her. I told her I wouldn't go with her even if she begged me on a broken knee, so she took off ten points for that. Then, she asked would I at least be her escort to the car. I said not until you apologize to that poor kid you bullied. Of course, ten more points were gone. Then I hit a homerun when she asked if I would work with her again for her album promotions. I said fuck off, so those thirty points came from her fury. I'm surprised she just took away half the points, though. I almost expected more with the way she pounded the ever-loving shit out of my notebook with the stamp, but it ran out of ink so someone showed me some mercy. The most she did was fuss at me."

Should we say how pissed off Lory Takarada was that day? I should say not. Kyoko forgave Guro almost immediately because she knew how difficult Kiho was, but she didn't expect Kiho to flirt with Guro. That's just odd and gross! If it was Tsuruga-san, she probably would've just let it go since women flirt with Tsuruga Ren whenever he walks out the door. For a pop idol to flirt with Guro was just...wrong. Somehow or another, it just wasn't right. Lory didn't care, though. The purpose of the LoveMe department was to gain the love of everyone a member comes into contact with, and this stupid woman ruined the whole thing! A young girl - no, a young pop star - was thanking Goru for her hard work and she denied every attempt! Guro was just evil - just plain evil!

"The good news is I managed to get another job; the bad news is I still got points taken off," Guro said, shocking Nakazawa and angering Lory once again.

"Wh - why?" Kyoko asked, shocked.

"I went to go get some directions to come here right? On my way here, the hotel staff were pinpointing the areas where I punched the walls. I sulked it over and went to tell them what happened. They gave me a job to repair the damage I caused to the walls." Guro flipped to the second page where the 80-point stamp was located. She continued, "I got 20 points knocked off for using the wrong paint. What really happened was Kiho put hair dye in the paint can, and it changed the color of the paint. I was putting drywall on the walls first, so when I started painting I noticed the color was orange. Matter of fact, it wasn't just orange - it was the brightest flippin' orange on the face of the planet. When I asked if anyone was repainting the walls orange, they took off for me. I was thirty seconds away punching that little bitch, except she drove away from the scene right after that little stunt. Pissed me off!"

"Did you punch anything else, nee-san?" Kyoko asked, hoping Guro hadn't destroyed more property.

"Just the anger management doll that kid gave me," Guro said, taking out a pack of cigarettes. "I just learned that kid is Kiho's boyfriend."

_Ah! _Nakazawa thought. _ So there are people like that? Who would want a woman abusing them like that in public?_

"Hiyashinsu-san. Mogami-san. Tsuruga-san," Lory called, a black hole swarming behind him. "You three have made no useful progress whatsoever."

"Really? That sucks," Guro complained. "I thought I did pretty good on the bright side. At least I didn't get zero points for both jobs. I could've been arrested for punching the walls, but that didn't happen...yet. Plus, I got to meet some pretty cool people today. It was fun! I don't have anything negative to say about any of this, even though I got pissed off along the way."

Nakazawa smiled at Guro's words. She was very appreciative for someone who seemed quite scary. Lory harrumphed inelegantly at Guro. Although she was grateful for the experience, she still had a long way to go. You're not supposed to make the people hiring you angry for your carelessness and rudeness! She was so going to be punished for this! In fact, she never got a test on one crucial subject that determines a LoveMe member's status.

"If you're so positive about your work, then answer me this Hiyashinsu Guro-san..." Lory hissed, black hole simmering to a tolerable level. "What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word love?"

Kyoko, Nakazawa, and Ren shivered at the question. This is Guro he's talking to, a weird breed of woman in LME with a short fuse. She's in LoveMe for a reason: she lost or needs to regain her love for the audience. Guro looked into Lory's eyes with a blank stare then...gradually, her empty gaze became warm and somehow sad. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with a tragic warmth that Lory hardly ever came across before.

"Love, huh?" Guro clarified, chuckling back a hurt expression. "Well, to me, love is the same as war and a lustrous piece of gold. War can make you do things you wouldn't normally do just like love. There's a saying that goes 'Humans can stop war or war can stop humanity.' Well, humans can't stop love. Love is what makes us human. When you love someone, sometimes you'll go to war or great lengths to protect them. Sometimes, you'll even abuse your own humanity just to see them happy. That's why, to me, love is like a piece of gold. So small yet so valuable, you'd do anything to keep it and make it beautiful. You'd fight to the end to make sure that it never falters. Same with love. When you're in it, you don't care who's the victim of death or a lie. You just want that love to be beautiful and last forever. To make it brief, love is war and all's fair in love that is war. Love can make you sick like the sight of blood or death, love can make you kill like you're holding a gun to someone's head, or love can make you fight. When I hear love, I hear war."

Lory was quite stunned. Why does love make Guro become violent or have violent thoughts? She was so hard to understand yet easy to show sympathy to. Lory fluttered his eyes and said, "I see. Well, Mogami-san and Tsuruga-san over there are actors. Their roles are two siblings who have a bit of a love complex. Say you were their cousin and you knew about them being in love, what would you do if you loved Kyoko or Ren?"

Guro thought for a moment then looked at Kyoko. She then pondered some more and looked at Ren. Once she had an answer, she said, "I would stop at nothing to destroy their bond. To the victor goes the spoils."

Lory smiled mischievously and said, "Perfect. How would you like to partake in their acting course as their cousin?"

"EH?" Kyoko and Guro shouted.

"Wh - what are you saying?" Guro argued. "I don't know squat about acting!"

"As a musician, you should know that you'll be doing several music videos that require more than singing. Expression, human feeling are involved in the process. This is a perfect opportunity to get you involved in the acting world while still upholding the music world. So, starting tomorrow, you'll be acting as the Heel siblings' cousin and since you're familiar with Kyoko more than Ren... You'll be fighting Ren to keep Kyoko by your side..."

_Eh! _Kyoko thought. _Why fight Tsuruga-san over me? President, have you no idea what you're getting Guro-nee-san into?_


	7. Entering Umi Heel

"A-an-anou, Takarada-sensei?" Guro called, raising her hand. Kyoko noticed at once that Guro painted her nails pink, black, and yellow to match her uniform. Takarada responded with a mischievous hum and listened to his little she-devil. "If I'm supposed to be a third wheel in this sibling complex, shouldn't I have more information on the characters? I don't know how to be someone's cousin without knowing what kind of person my cousin is going to be."

"Let's start this exercise by asking Tsuruga-san about his character, shall we?" Lory said, smiling and chuckling. This was going to be good. "Ren!"

"H-hai?" Ren replied, startled by the deep boom of the president's voice.

"Give a summary of your character to your new cousin," the president said.

"My character's name is Cain Heel. He is an impulsive," Ren paused for a moment to choose his words carefully then continued when he found the right one, "and careless individual who is scary to others around him with exception to his sister, Setsuka Heel. Around his sister, he becomes immature and dependent of her without fully realizing it himself. When she's in danger, he becomes protective of her and will fight savagely but in a controlled manner."

"My character is Setsuka Heel," Kyoko says, smiling brightly. "She is protective of her brother, Cain Heel, and his reputation as an actor. She acts as a mother to him sometimes. She cares for Cain deeply to the point where it feels like she is in love with him. She gets into trouble when her brother's not around and when he shows up more trouble comes up."

"Oh, I think I'll fit right in," Guro commented, feeling at one with the characters. "By the way that you're dressed, I take it you're both dangerous-looking and roguish on the outside but as characters you both have genuine feelings of vulnerability, fear, and loneliness on the inside, ne?"

Kyoko and Ren gasped at this. Guro actually sort of had it right! Lory then thought Guro would have been something fierce had she been an actress. As Guro asked a few questions to clarify the individual characters and their interests, Lory thought of a complete character description and analysis for Guro. Naturally, Guro was a dangerous-looking woman who was impulsive and destructive, so she understood the importance of being a dark character. What was tricky was having her blend in with the Heel siblings, who normally have wholesome images out of the black clothes, and make it a natural feud between Ren over Kyoko's affection. Guro was naturally dark and scary without the black; she was wearing pink and she still looked like a servant of Death! Plus, she was supposed to make a few songs for the soundtrack of Ren's new movie. Acting and practicing might not be able to mix, especially if Guro is hired for other LoveMe assignments. She seems to grab jobs pretty easily, which isn't normal of a LoveMe girl, and she actually enjoys all the jobs she obtains. There's no complaining with her at all!

_This is too easy for her…_ Lory grumbled to himself as he thought. _She's the creepiest-looking lady in all of LoveMe, yet she gets jobs one on top the other and gets high scores on top of that! If she hadn't screwed up, she would've had 200 points in the bag on the first day__._

"Mogami-san?" Lory called, folding his arms. "Tomorrow morning when Guro comes back to start her acting exercise, I would like to see your LoveMe pad. I need to make some stat summaries for all members."

"Hai, President-san!" Kyoko answered, noticing he called Guro by her first name.

"Hiyashinsu-san, I'll need yours as well," Lory said, earning a nod from the woman. "On to more important matters, Hiyashinsu-san is an aspiring musician who Nakazawa is going to be watching until her debut made by me. That means I'll decide how you come out into the world with your first album, Hiyashinsu-san."

"Oh, I already have the first album done, sir," Guro says, hissing to herself for not telling Nakazawa or Lory that she came to company with the album already put together. "I forgot all about that. Once you allow me to start recording, it'll be for the fourth album. The first three are finished."

"A-amazing!" Nakazawa complimented. She already knew what she wanted to do before she got signed! He grabbed Guro's hands and nodded, "That must've been a lot of work. How'd you finish them all?"

"Each one was done a week after the other," Guro said. "The only thing I worry about is the concept of each album because the theme actually changes dramatically. The demo I turned in was just a song I made up on the spot. I got it from listening to enka music after two hours on a trip to Okinawa."

"Oh, really?" Lory said, glaring and emanating the most intimidating aura in Ren's dressing room. "I'd like to hear this first album of yours that was done, Hiyashinsu Guro-san. Please show it to me tomorrow morning along with your LoveMe pad for the stats reading."

"No problema, señor," Guro answered, saluting the president nonchalantly. Everyone glanced at Guro in shock at her unfazed expression to the president's anger. Lory was getting angrier and angrier at this woman by the minute. "Since I'm done with the questions from the characters here, where do I exactly fit in? They seem perfect without me."

"Hmph!" Lory huffed, blowing steam out of his nostrils. He pointed a sharp finger at Guro's forehead, nearly leaving an imprint on it. "Your name is Umi Heel, daughter of Cain and Setsuka's unmarried and deceased aunt. You and Setsuka used to play together the most growing up, and she has always shown support in getting over your dead mother."

Nakazawa gasped and tried to wave his arms frantically to warn If not stop Lory from going on the subject of Guro's mother. _No, no, president-san! You've gone too far out of anger! She might punch you instead of walls!_

"Because you two were close, you get jealous of Cain for having her to himself while you survive in this bitter world alone trying to find your way. You and Cain are both pigheaded, strong individuals from not only taste but professional careers. Umi wants to be the rock star; Cain wants to be the actor. Since Umi is supposed to do the soundtrack for Cain's movie, she's in his face about having Setsu to herself. Now figure out how to do all of that by tomorrow!"

With that, Lory stomped out of the room and left everyone in a daze. Even Ren had never seen that side to Lory. He didn't know whether to say Guro was amazing to change Lory like that from her actions or was a fool for daring to oppose him, but she didn't do it on purpose, though, right? The other men were confused as well, but they took the awkward silence in the room to speak to Guro about soundtrack details.

There was another studio she was supposed to use to record BJ's theme song, a club theme song, and Murasame's theme song. Nakazawa stayed for the music video options, but he had to leave to comfort Takarada and his rampage soon. Guro was given more details about where the club was going to be and how BJ was as a character. Kyoko gave some insight on BJ's role to Guro as well. As Ren continued to watch Guro talking business in his dressing room, he began to worry about Lory's proposal. If she wasn't an actress, why was she being forced to participate as his rival for Kyoko? What was so bad about Guro that she had to be in the LoveMe department anyway? Her answer to Lory's love test was completely understandable. She must have been in love once to know what it felt like to want to protect a lover. Was it the fact that she had an album done before he thought of her debut that got to him?

"Tsuruga-san!" Kyoko called, kneeling in front of Ren. "Guro-nee-san's going to be writing her songs while she acts as our cousin. Don't you think that's a bit much, Tsuruga-san?"

"It depends on if she can handle so many jobs at a time," Ren said in his senpai tone. "If she thinks doing LoveMe assignments, songs, and acting is too much work, then she'll have to make a sacrifice on her own. I wouldn't worry too much, though. If she's anything like us when we're determined to do one job right, then she'll do fine. Besides, in a way, she crossed the wrong line when she went against President Takarada. He'll probably use all of this as a test. I think he's the one you should be more worried about."

"Eh? Why?" Kyoko asked, looking at Guro.

"I think when he asked Hiyashinsu-san that question about love; he wanted to find a way to fix that harshness she has in her heart. She behaved quite cruelly to whoever that other person was that took away half her points for being rejected so steadfastly, and she had no right damaging property here. However, when she answered his question with such a sympathetic answer, he may have been confused about something."

"Confused?"

"I think he's trying to figure out whether she truly belongs in the LoveMe department or not," Ren answers, remembering the surprise in Lory's face when Guro answered his question. "She must know what it's like to be in love and how it made her feel. Her response was one that even I can relate to: you'd give anything, even your own peace, to hold on to the love you have for someone. You want to protect that person that has your heart because that's what makes you human, but it's a struggle to hold on to that valuable treasure because protection can corrupt it or corrupt you. I don't think the president really understands her question to him."

"She was posing a question to the president?" Kyoko asked, watching Guro sign some papers and laughing with the other men.

"She thinks love is like war," Ren started, whispering the words to himself as if the question was for him to answer. "Either humans can stop war or war will stop humanity. In her words, if love is what makes us human, what's stopping love from taking our humanity away? The president has an obsession with people falling in love and believes wholeheartedly that love can never fail. Hiyashinsu-san is evidently the opposite: she thinks nurturing something precious like that can corrupt you if not someone else. If Hiyashinsu-san was in love and wanted to hold onto that love with all her heart and strength, how did it destroy her in the end…?"

* * *

><p><em>That girl…<em> Lory thought, walking in a ditch in the hallway.

Nakazawa was sitting on a resting bench, watching Lory pace back and forth in the same spot. He sighed and thought, _you know, it pains me to watch him do this to himself._

_Why does she have to make me so pissed? Each time I get close to finding out the answers to her past, she takes it away from me and drowns me in those eyes of hers! _

* * *

><p><em>Earlier, when Lory asked the question…<em>

"_What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word love?" Lory asked, confident Guro was going to give him an unsatisfactory answer like Mogami, Kotonami, and Chiori._

_If there was one common trait about LoveMe girls, it was their lack of something valuable in the industry. Guro was the scariest of all of them; she was going to say that love is a stupid emotion that people romanticize too unrealistically and will soon suffer for such a twisted belief. He could almost taste her words about to pour out so shamelessly! But the girl said nothing of that nature. As Lory heard her words, he saw pain in her beautiful blue eyes. The sad cries of the wind blew over her weeping oceans as a cold rain fell into her depths. Why did one word cause this amount of pain inside such a strong, bold woman?_

"_When I hear love, I hear war…"_

_Lory gasped at this and saw the rainclouds in her eyes part. A red sun gave an evil light to the storm clouds and the oceans began to glow a faint blood red. A fighting spirit emerged from Guro's very being and she smirked in Lory's hesitation and sudden fear. He got a different answer all right—one that could very well prove that she didn't need to be in the LoveMe department. Love may have held her captive in the middle of the ocean, but the true battle was on the shores. Her love of freedom was in the lighthouse and she was already on the shore to fight for it. Lory was more or less in the way to getting to her prize__—he was__ the antagonist in her case. He wanted that secret bottle still floating in the ocean, but she wanted to possess the lighthouse standing over her ocean and lighting her way._

_The war wasn't the only thing truly concerning him, however. What took away her ability to love her freedom in the first place? What held her down all this time to want to fight back? Again, he was aiming for that secret bottle of hers. The secret, the message, the will was in that bottle. Her stories, her dreams, her passion was in it. He just wanted to see it!_

* * *

><p><em>I'm gonna go bald soon if she keeps this up! <em>Lory mentally shouted, more confused than ever.

"Ne, President-san!" Nakazawa shouted, shaking Lory by his shoulder. He was practically pulling his hair out! Nakazawa said, "Calm down! I'm sure whatever it is you're angry about will subside in due time. Everything will be fine! Besides, shouldn't you be worried about Tsuruga-san and Mogami-san? Hiyashinsu-san will be recording soon, and Tsuruga-san will be filming at the same time. That LoveMe girl will certainly cause trouble for both of them, won't she?"

"Mogami-san isn't the one causing trouble this time!" Lory yelled, rage building within him at the insult towards Kyoko. He pointed an accusing finger at Nakazawa and said, "Your stupid love-deprived Hiyashinsu-san is to blame! How did you not know she already had her first album done before showing up here?"

"I never asked, and she never told me," Nakazawa pleaded, kneeling in apology to Lory. "I only asked her a few questions about herself, sir."

_If she had everything together up to the fourth album, why does she need us to sign her then? _Lory questioned, huffing at Nakazawa, who was still pleading for mercy. _ She could go under her own label and become a star. Why be so ahead of the game before getting signed? Is she just that professional…? Or is there something more to it than that? But… _Lory stood still.

Nakazawa looked into his eyes and was flabbergasted. Lory had a look of genuine confusion. He was normally very good at analyzing people, but this was a force he almost couldn't handle.

_What is that something? I… I don't understand her… Did I make the wrong decision by putting her in the LoveMe department? I know I got it on the nail when I said she lost the love of freedom when we first met, so what am I getting wrong here? I thought for sure she would answer my love test with something much worse than those…those…those beautiful analogies. I—what am I getting wrong about this girl? _Lory questioned_._

* * *

><p>It was a long day at Lory's Majestic Entertainment Company for Guro. She managed to catch a taxi home and walked down the footpath to the front porch with a cigarette between her lips. Guro inwardly felt proud, though. She had about five LoveMe assignments in one day, got to meet her senior LoveMe member, Kyoko, and will be working on new music on location for Tsuruga Ren's new movie. Unfortunately, she had no idea who Ren was or why he was considered important, but she let it pass and only promised to search his name on the internet after she took a shower. Speaking of searching, it couldn't hurt to look up Kyoko's stuff either. She seemed pretty sweet for a naïve little brat, and Guro saw potential in her for a future music video. She didn't really care who would work with her as long as they didn't get in her way of her goal. Vengeance was only a step away.<p>

Guro swore, remembering she had to find her first album for the president tomorrow, and put out her cigarette in the outdoor ashtray on the porch. She walked in the front door then closed it behind her. Her grandfather wasn't home, but he left a note and some food for her. Guro read the note and heard her grandfather soon opening the door. She smiled and waved at him as he hurried inside.

"Konbawa, papa," Guro greeted, frightening Matsuri.

"Oh!" Matsuri yelped, scratching his cheek as he chuckled. "Konbawa, Guro-chan. Did you just get here?"

"Hai," she answered, taking her hat off.

"How was work?" he asked, walking in the kitchen.

"Busy. I met my senior today on my way to work. She called me onee-san," Guro replied, following Matsuri. "The president met with us later on, and I got to speak to Tsuruga Ren-san. I felt kind of weird there 'cause they have such a wholesome images, and then there's black sheep me."

"You didn't scream when you saw Tsuruga-san like the other girls in the store?" Matsuri questioned, taking out the groceries he ran out to buy.

"I don't even know who that is," Guro commented, shocking her grandfather. "He play anything?"

"Well, the piano in a film. It's kinda heavy in romance, though. You really don't know who Tsuruga Ren is?"

"Not at all," Guro remarked, putting the groceries away for Matsuri. "Unless he's my type, he's not on my 'follow this guy' list. From what I've seen, he's just in costume."

"My, my!" Matsuri said, laughing. "You're something else, Guro-chan. So how's tomorrow looking for you at LME?"

"The president's making me do an acting exercise with Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko as their cousin. I guess this is training for future music videos, but I don't like movie length videos like that. I only want the music involved in a music video," Guro said, cracking her shoulder. "That acting crap is not my thing."

"Is it not your thing because it reminds you of your mother or is it not your thing because it reminds you of the days you were in America?" Matsuri asked, scowling at his granddaughter. He was satisfied with Guro's silence as an answer; it meant a little bit of both. Guro was actually quite capable of acting and was in a film twice, so there shouldn't be any problems with this exercise; in fact, it should be the easiest job to take right now. He said, "In that case, you'll have a hard time working on this indeed. Will you still seek to destroy those boys even if you fail this task?"

Guro thought for a moment and said, "No, their destruction is my goal. Becoming someone who shows their talents, who wants to show more than guitar skills, who wants to show more than her face is my dream. I want to be someone who loves her gifts."

"Then you have to love acting just as much as you love music," Matsuri said, smiling at Guro's reply. "Your mother loved who she was even before you were born. It's your turn to love yourself. I don't know what that younger chap meant by losing your love of freedom because if anything you still have it. I think what you really lack is love for who you are as a person and the love for your gifts."

"Daddy," Guro whimpered, embracing her grandfather tightly.

"Without your skills, you wouldn't have met those boys and left this country. In that country, you were something the world admired for your showmanship. They didn't know anything about you as a person. My darling, if you want to beat those boys at their own game, you have to love the thing that they tried to shun away from everyone. You have to love everything that you are capable of doing."

"Okay," Guro said, crying. "I want this! I want to be better than this! To be better than them…"

"Then bite this exercise in its ass," Matsuri said, making Guro smile again and nod. "Show 'em what a Hiyashinsu girl is made of!"

* * *

><p>Several knocks were heard at the door. Kyoko was the first to wake up as usual in the hotel room. She was particularly worried about everyone today: the president, Ren, Guro, the hotel staff, Chiori, Kanae, and herself! She could hardly sleep last night with so much worry! President Takarada seemed like a different person this morning as well. He held each girl's LoveMe pads, a cheap copy of a CD, and several papers regarding different things that Kyoko didn't want to know about. However, the most curious thing she saw on the flamboyant man was a pair of earphones around his neck and a CD player embedded in his arm. He was frowning when he greeted Kyoko at the door earlier. She couldn't possibly fathom why he was so pissed off there was no youthful gleam in his eyes.<p>

More knocking was heard, so Kyoko snapped out of her troubled thoughts and opened the door. Before she could even speak, she was almost amazed by the vision before her. A young woman – taller than herself – was about to knock again before she smiled. It was a smile Kyoko knew well enough. The woman had a few blue streaks cascading down her long black hair that matched her gorgeous blue eyes. She wore gothic blue and purple make-up, and she had an interesting piercing on her maroon-coated lips. Her hair was combed in a fake Mohawk style, and she had multiple piercings in both ears, but she probably decided to only wear a few. Her earrings consisted of skull studs, black and violet feathers, and small black demon hands hanging from chains. Her shirt was long-sleeved and lacy navy blue floral patterns were dancing on her upper torso. She had a black miniskirt and black and blue heels with lace and skulls on them. Basically, she was a hot goth and it looked so natural on her! The one thing Kyoko noticed the most on this particular woman was her nails. They were the same color as yesterday: pink, black and yellow like the LoveMe uniform.

_This can't be!_ Kyoko mentally shouted. _She just… she just can't be! Is it really…? Could it be…? Is this my onee-san, Guro? She looks so elegant and beautiful in that man-eater style!_

"Aren't you going to let me in…?" Guro asked, chuckling. Suddenly, she jumped onto Kyoko shouting, "SETSU-CHAN!"

"Kya!" Kyoko shouted, waking Ren up before hitting the floor.

"Kyok - !" Ren shouted, only seeing Kyoko in someone else's arms – namely a woman's arms.

"Setsu-chan, I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" Guro asked, genuinely afraid that she might've caused Kyoko harm. "Setsu-chan?" Kyoko only groaned a response; she was so confused and actually hurt from hitting her head on the floor. "Setsu-chan! What has that Cain-baka been teaching you? Don't you know how to dodge when someone pounces on you?"

"Cain-onii-san…" Kyoko drawled, spirals filling her eyes.

"Setsu-chan?" Guro called. In a panic, she began shaking Kyoko forcefully to snap her out of her stupor. She yelled, "Setsu-chan, no, you can't leave me like this! I don't want to live alone without you. Setsu, please wake up!"

"Umi!" Tsuruga called, stopping Guro. "Can't you see you're making it worse? Or are you that stupid?"

Guro looked at Ren and growled viciously, surprising Ren, before saying, "If you were smarter, you'd teach Setsu-chan how to defend herself if people do this kind of thing to her. You, Cain-baka, don't deserve to be with Setsu!"

Ren and Kyoko are surprised by this and look at Guro as she hisses in quaking anger. They both had the same thoughts: Hiyashinsu-san got Umi Heel's character just about spot on. Her anger, disappointment, and jealousy were directed to Ren, but her caring nature was driven to Setsu. It was just about perfect! Suddenly, Guro returned to her nonchalant behavior like yesterday and spoke to them normally.

"So, uh, did I do okay?" Guro asked, looking at Ren then Kyoko then Ren again. "The president sort of rushed me out of the car and told me to get in character. I'm hoping that was at least satisfactory since you two are experienced actors."

_That was her interpretation of Umi Heel on a satisfactory level? _ Kyoko and Ren thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Name: Mogami Kyoko<strong>

**Jobs received: 6**

**Points earned: 300**

**Time worked as a LoveMe member: 13 months**

"The founding member of the LoveMe department," Lory mumbled, holding up Kyoko's pad and a picture of the girl. "When we first met, she was a determined and persistent girl who wanted nothing more than to be better than Fuwa Sho."

**Name: Kotonami Kanae**

**Jobs received: 4**

**Points earned: 200**

**Time worked as a LoveMe member: 9 months**

"The second LoveMe member whose dream is to be an actress," Lory mumbled, holding up Kanae's pad and a picture of her. "She follows the rules and isn't as spontaneous as Kyoko, but her skills are wonderful and she has confidence in them."

**Name: Chiori**

**Jobs received: 2**

**Points earned: 100**

**Time worked as a LoveMe member: about one month**

"The child star who lost her love of acting after an accident that led her here to follow Mogami's footsteps," Lory mumbled, holding up Chiori's pad and a picture of her. "While filming a new movie with Kyoko, she realized she couldn't stay in her dark past. Her goal is to move on in her career and love her work as an actress."

**Name: Hiyashinsu Guro**

**Jobs received: 5**

**Points earned: 395**

**Time worked as a LoveMe member: two days**

Lory stared at Guro's picture and frowned. He growled, "The newest addition to my squad with an amazing…first…album and the most impressive score. When she received her first interview from Nakazawa, she wanted to show the world how much her mother's love meant to her and made her the person she is today. Her goal is to change the content of the music industry. What is the content? Hell if I know... I don't get it! Boohoo-hoo-hoo, I'm going bald! No matter how much I remind myself that she's just some love-deprived demon, I can't put the album down! Every song is filled with love… Every job she takes earns her more love… Her debut… all of their debuts…"

_Why is this person so ahead?_ Lory questioned, listening to the album's opening for the fifth time. _Did I really…make a mistake on that girl? Was she really lacking at something to begin with? She makes excellent songs—none of them are the same. Her style changes with each song she writes. Every song has a special story, and the lyrics are wonderful chapters. Her family, her love of music, her love of performing, her interest in other performances, everything she's sung about with such a sweet, gentle voice is the perfect epilogue for a summer love story. The story of a young love's childhood is written masterfully in each piece, but what does 'Til I Turned Teen' mean? It's the one edgy, punk rock song that begs for an encore on the album. Is she just a marketing genius?_

"What does the second album sound like...?" Lory questioned, snapping out of his thoughts. He remembered suddenly that Guro was the she-demon who doesn't love anymore and shook his head violently. "Why am I supporting her? This first record can't be that great!" Lory whimpered as he banged a fist against his desk several times. He stopped as he lightly punched Kanae's photograph. "I never even thought about how many points will become enough for a debut," Lory said, placing Guro's picture next to Kyoko's picture. "I promised both of these two a grand debut with the right amount of points, but why is there such a huge difference in points and time? I have to set some standards for everyone; otherwise, they'll take my love for them for granted and think they'll become successful without knowing what love is all about in this industry."


	8. Battle Royale: Heel Family Riot

Due to a typo in the last chapter, I must make a few comments. Kyoko's amount of points are actually 290 not 300. I forgot Ren took away ten points from her when she was acting as a rich heiress against Ruriko. I counted the whole 100 instead of the actual 90. I am so ashamed of myself; I don't deserve to be a fan… tears. However, everyone's score is just about right so I wouldn't look too deep into it. If you have better stats or a manga that has stats for the Skip Beat! Girls, then by all means correct me. I am taking requests/suggestions for possible drama in the story, so if anyone has something they'd like to see happen, I'm sure I can come up with something.

In other news, I got a Reino challenge from a mystery reviewer. Hopefully, I get some more details, but I thank you for giving me this opportunity. To you readers of my fiction, I hope you maybe support me on this as well. I don't know much about Reino other than he's funny, so some other details on him would be great.

Enough babbling, please enjoy this new chapter.

* * *

><p>"Your acting is very good compared to most musicians that I've worked with," Ren said. "I think you'll make a good cousin, Hiyashinsu-san."<p>

"Really?" Guro questioned, face suddenly filled with hope. She hadn't acted in a while, so she thought her skills were quite rusty. "Oh, thank heavens! You're really amazing, too, Mr. Tsuruga and Ms. Mogami. Please take care of me and my horrid acting. I'd like to learn to become better someday."

"Eh, nee-san?" Kyoko questioned. "Aren't you older than me? You don't have to call me miss."

"Ah, that's right!" Guro said, humming in thought. "I know Mr. Tsuruga is 21… But I never asked how old you were."

"I'm 17," Kyoko answered.

"Yikes! I'm getting old," Guro complains, taking off her heels. She stood to her feet then walked over to Ren's bed and sat next to him rather carelessly. Her miniskirt was hiked up a bit. She said, "I turn 25 this September. Since I'm Umi, do I have to act like an older cousin or is a younger cousin better?"

"Hm…" Kyoko hummed in thought.

"I think your interpretation of Umi is someone who's younger," Ren answered. "The way she acted when she saw Setsu was full of spirit, but when she saw Cain she became more jealous like a teen crush."

"Dammit!" Guro spat out, lying on Ren's legs. "I should've thought about that before."

_How are you so careless around people you don't know? _Ren thought, watching Guro lie flat on her back.

"But I like your Umi, nee-san," Kyoko complimented. "Even though I know you're Hiyashinsu Guro in that outfit, you embody Umi's character completely with your acting. For a moment, my heart began to pace faster when you were fighting over me."

"Thank you…imouto-chan," Guro said, smiling happily at Kyoko. "This is actually the first time… I felt good about my own skills. Maybe one day this potential will blossom into something untouchable and feared…"

_Untouchable and feared…_ Kyoko thought.

'_**I want Shotaro to fear my untouchable skills so that he falls to his knees and be**__**gs to work for me! Hohohohoho!'**_

_Not now, my sweets, _Kyoko thought, completely agreeing with Guro's wish to become a superstar. _Even though my sole desire is to make Shotaro crumble, I must not get carried away in front of Guro-nee-san. She's scarier than Tsuruga-san when he's angry. There's no telling what she might think of me if I entered the showbiz just to get revenge on that Fuwa Sho!_

_'__**Nee-san will hate us for something that Shotaro deserves? Okay, let's start up a good plan. CONFERENCE HALL EVERYONE!**__'_

_**'Moko-san was not angry at us for wanting to enter showbiz for revenge, but Tsuruga-san was upset. Could it be only a woman can sympathize with another?'**_

_**'If Guro-nee-san sympathizes with us, she'll probably punch that Shotaro and ruin his stupid face out of love, won't she?'**_

_**'Her beautiful aura when she's angry was so divine one of our sisters was scorched. That kind of power could be useful.'**_

"Jya! We should probably practice this character bonding thing, so I can refine Umi some more. I'm still confused on something with this family thing."

"Like what?" Ren asked curiously, leaning on the headboard.

"If Cain and Setsu have a love complex, why doesn't it exactly show?" Guro questioned, surprising Kyoko and Ren. "Shouldn't you two be a bit flirtier?"

"Like you?" Kyoko questioned, looking at Guro's skirt showing her curved thighs.

"Me?" Guro asked, tilting her head.

"She's talking about your skirt," Ren answered, looking at the same thing.

"This is me getting comfortable," Guro said, scratching her chest. "Yeah, you're about two seconds away from looking up my ass, but this is what I do naturally. Flirty is like me flat out walking around in my underwear and teasing this piece of meat over here."

"Sounds like you're referring me to a slab of meat," Ren commented, making a face and staring at her fingernail pointing at him.

"To women other than me, you're totally a hunk of beef," Guro responds, digging in her ear. "I prefer using you as a pillow, honestly."

_I don't know why…_ Kyoko thought, watching Ren and Guro argue a bit. _But this atmosphere feels so natural... like we're a real family, even though we're not even acting. I wonder if Guro is like this with everyone or just people she knows._

"Oh, speaking of which, I left my baby outside," Guro said, snapping Ren and Kyoko out of whatever previous thoughts they had.

Ren and Kyoko watched Guro fix her skirt as stood up then walk to the open door. She bent over to pick up a long case and some notebooks then stood back up to carry her things in the room. She closed the door behind her this time and walked over to Ren's bed to lay down with her stuff.

Ren grumbled before saying, "Is there a reason why you have to put your stuff on my bed?"

"Shut up, pillow, and look pretty," Guro retorted, opening her long case to reveal a purple and blue guitar.

"I'm not a pillow!" Ren responded, pointing at her. "And don't sit with your legs open! Mogami-san's eyes might bleed."

"She'll be alright," Guro said, waving the comment off. "The guitar's blocking my sex kitten anyway. Now relax, I've got a song to write for your movie."

"You're starting work already?" Kyoko questioned, happy that Guro was right about the guitar blocking her girly bits.

"Yeah, I finished writing the lyrics last night," Guro answered, tuning her instrument. "I just have to write the scores for the rhythm guitar and lead guitar. The drums and bass guitar I finished this morning."

_You just got the jobs for writing new music yesterday night!_ Kyoko thought. _How'd you do so much in such a short time?_

"The first recording for the pub scene is going to be in Club Citta in Kawasaki tomorrow night," Guro informed, strumming a few notes. "The band that was assembled for me I've never heard before, so I didn't want them just going crazy on my lyrics and making me look bad. That was not happening, so I took the liberty of writing the scores for them to practice on before I arrived there. I'm doing the vocals only for that recording. Nakazawa-san said he just wants to see my performance as a vocalist."

"Will you be working on that and acting?" Kyoko asked, beginning to worry. "What about your LoveMe assignments?"

"I haven't worn the uniform yet, so I won't be getting jobs until it's on," Guro answered, playing some riffs. "Between doing this and acting, it'll be a piece of cake. I'm almost done writing the music. Hey, if you two are free, you can check it out. That's only if you want to, I'm not forcing you to see the gig."

"I'd like to see you, but I'd have to ask the president if it's okay and I'm supposed to watch Tsuruga-san. If Tsuruga-san would like to go, then maybe we can all go together," Kyoko answered, putting more pressure on Ren because his decision could either disappoint her or make her happy.

"You've got some time to think about it, so don't rush yourselves, okay?" Guro said, smirking. "Do you want to start acting again to get a family vibe going?"

"Yeah, let's start," Ren answered, surprising Kyoko. "You already came in and fought with Cain about teaching Setsu self-defense, so let's provide a new situation for you. Setsu was preparing breakfast so that I'll be fit for work. What do you feel Umi should do about this? Also, Mogami-san, what do you feel Setsu should do in this situation now that Umi is here and will probably fight over you with Cain?"

"Got it, captain," Guro saluted, putting her guitar and notebooks away.

Ren watched as Kyoko prepared breakfast for three, thinking about what to do, and then turned to Guro who was preparing the scene as though she just came in with her stuff after pouncing on Kyoko and never picked it up. It was actually quite clever of her. She sighed as she tossed her notebooks about and guitar on the side. Guro was probably being torn apart on the inside for having to dishevel her things. It made for an interesting scene actually. About a few minutes later, Guro took a deep breath and got into character.

"Ne, Setsu-chan?" Guro called, sounding annoyed.

"E-eh?" Kyoko answered, not realizing they were already starting. Ren sighed, signaling an NG.

_What is this?_ Kyoko thought. _Did he NG me or Guro-nee-san? Why did he NG one of us?_

"Why are you cooking for that baka?" Guro continued, fully in character and pointing at the back of Ren's head. "He's the oldest, so he should know how to cook for himself."

"Nii-san can't cook a thing by himself. If anything, he'll pass up a chance to eat altogether," Kyoko answered, putting in Ren's bad habits more than Cain's.

"Then he should find a restaurant and make friends there so someone can teach him rather than having his own sister slave over a stove!" Guro argued. "Not cooking is just an excuse to watch your ass move in those leather pants. If he were any real man, he'd at least cook something simple. Besides, Setsu-chan, you should take breaks every now and then. Aren't you tired of being this douchebag's babysitter?"

_I know this is just an acting exercise, but does she really have to be that harsh?_ Kyoko thought, turning away from Guro and Ren. _Was Umi supposed to have so much cruelty in her as a character?_

Ren stood up from his bed and walked over to the stove to cut slices of butter to grease the skillet. Kyoko started to speak and nudged Ren to let her do the cooking, but Ren inched away from her and put his concentration on the butter in the pan. Kyoko looked at Guro and gasped at the reaction she was giving. As Umi, Guro had the expression of both shock and defeat in her eyes. Suddenly, she changed expressions and puffed her cheeks before pivoting to look at the wall. It was a childish gesture, but her actions and the vibrations in her back were signaling her anger. Would Umi really be this emotional over Cain trying to beat her? Shouldn't Umi be fighting him to get Setsu on her side? Kyoko then turned to Ren and gasped again at his reaction. As Cain, he was smirking and became proud of his victory against Umi. Abruptly, Kyoko heard shuffling and snapped her head around to see Guro packing.

"Aren't you going to stay for breakfast, Umi?" Cain asked. "You came all the way here to see Setsu specifically, didn't you?"

"Setsu-chan - !" Guro started, suddenly unable to speak. She sought for the right words to say then replied, "Setsu-chan's all grown up now and… it's up to her whether she wants to stay here with a douchebag like you or not… I only wanted to say 'hi' before I go to work… Besides, anyone who stays to eat your home cooking is obviously a fool!"

"Oh, but you said a real man would help his sister with cooking every once-in-a-while. Are you leaving because you realize your own mistake?" Cain hissed.

"Fuck you, asshole!" Umi insulted boldly. "If Setsu wants to be with a failure like you then fine! I did what I wanted to do when I came through the door. There's nothing more to it. Setsu-chan wants to be with you more than me because you make her happy. If she stayed with me… I probably couldn't do the same thing… all I do is make her worry. That's all I… probably ever did since mom left. But I'm better now, Setsu-chan… because of you… I learned to love you as my mother instead because you always made me happy."

Kyoko gasped at this and wished desperately to wipe Guro's fresh tears away. Guro left the suite and didn't return. Ren turned off the heat for the skillet and looked at Kyoko, gasping at her shocked face. Before he could even speak, Kyoko took off after Guro and left him in the room alone. Guro was gone in a flash the moment Kyoko ran out, but she managed to catch a small glimpse of someone's black hair as it turned a corner down the hallway. Kyoko ran toward the corner until she saw a hand puppet appear spontaneously.

"Setsu-chan, it's not safe running down the hallway. You should know better than that," the hand puppet lectured, confusing Kyoko but making her grudges laugh at how ridiculous the gesture was.

'_**What is with this preschool gesture?'**_ the grudges laughed. _**'Is this person a fool?'**_

The hand puppet said, "Now that Cain-baka is out of the way, wanna have some fun with Umi-chan? We can paint our nails, give each other backrubs, or paint the town black."

"U-umi-chan?" Kyoko questioned.

Suddenly, Kyoko realized something as Guro showed her face and poked her tongue out to smile cutely. She used the crying bit just to get Setsu's attention and lure her away from her brother! This girl—no, this woman—won against Tsuruga Ren in this round!

Kyoko then erased any trace of confusion, and from the depths of her soul Setsu came out once again, "Was that really fair to use the crying act, Umi-chan? That was beyond a cruel trick."

"It's just a cheap trick done dirty," Guro 'Umi' said, winking mischievously, "Besides; I came here to see you. You've gotten so much cuter, yet you're babying that stupid Cain. If you want to baby someone to death, why don't you just baby me? Won't death just be a step away from seeing my mother? I know Cain would be happy to get rid of me."

"That's not true," Setsu said, folding her arms. "Nii-san cared about you, too. He just didn't know what to say to you when you needed it. So what's this I hear about you and a job?"

"I'm doing a soundtrack for Cain-baka's new movie!" Umi answered, puffing her cheeks. It gave off a more childish nature even though she wasn't meant to be innocent. "I'm allowed to record in Studio A, so I came by to see if you wanted to hear the demo tape I'm producing."

"Does it have a dark theme?"

"Yep, just the way we like," Umi said, remembering she had to carry her things to the studio. "Actually, I have to go right now to start recording. Whenever you're done watching Cain-baka, come visit me okay? It's been so long since I've seen my favorite cousins…in the whole family. You know our family is so much smaller than most people's," Umi said, sighing sadly. Her mood changed quickly as she turned to smile at Setsu. "Well, I'd better get going. My rep as a musician will be at stake if these bastards aren't any good at playing live," she said, running from Setsu to say one more thing. "Tell Cain-baka to shave his sweaty balls some time or he'll never get laid with that horrible body odor. Ta-ta!"

"Nii-san's balls aren't that bad!" Setsu said, blushing profusely at having to say something so embarrassing. "You're such a pervert, Umi-chan!"

"You're the one who gets to see him naked!" Umi argues, running away from Setsu faster to Studio A. "Why don't you take him to a metrosexual parlor so he can wax his shit? You're his babysitter, ne?"

"Like hell I'd do that!" Setsu argued back, picking up speed. Who knew either girl could run in heels at almost top speed? Setsu said, "Nii-san doesn't have to do that kind of thing in public. There's no reason anyone should do that in public anyway!"

"Not if you wanna get laid super bad," Umi said, poking her tongue out and picking up her speed. "I wouldn't want a dude's man-bushes on me, so I speak for the other girls who feel the same. It's not my fault you use his hairy balls as a cushion."

"A cushion for what?" Setsu retorted.

"You know what I mean," Umi whispered mischievously before turning a corner sharply.

Kyoko, or Setsu, immediately realized what Guro 'Umi-chan' was talking about. She was going to tackle the crap out of that woman! Kyoko ran at her fastest speed to grab onto Guro's ponytail, but she missed once Guro turned that corner and ran into the one person she didn't want to see: Murasame. The ex-gangster lost his footing from the impact and was forced down onto his back. Kyoko recovered from the fall quickly then looked around for Umi.

_Dammit, she's gone!_ Kyoko thought. _Wait 'til I get my hands on that troublemaking cousin! Talking about Tsuruga-san's manhood in public so vulgarly like that! No, wait… I did the same thing! Why?_

"Funny we should meet like this, eh?" Murasame said, smiling sheepishly at Setsu. "So what're you doing running around so fast? Did you miss me?"

"You're not worth a second thought, punk," Setsu answered darkly, almost inhumanely. Her grudges were seeping out of her body as she stared into Murasame's eyes with a definitive hatred that almost mimicked Ren's anger. She rose to her feet then said, "If you must know, I'm looking for my cousin. That sneaky bitch took off down one of these hallways! Screw it, I'll find her later. You hear that, Umi-chan? When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna tear your ass apart! You got that? Run!"

* * *

><p>Studio A was a lot smaller than the other recording and filming studios, but it was definitely bigger than a regular recording studio. Guro walked into the place, taking in all the details. A sound adjuster board stretched across the wall with the Plexiglas window. Computers and modifying equipment rested on the side wall with a TV monitor recording what goes on in the recording room. There was a couch and some ottomans on the back wall for lounging around. The recording room itself was pretty clean from the window's view, but it could've been something else if you opened the soundproof wood door. The walls were painted a nice almond milk color and the lighting made the room look antique. Guro put her guitar case on the couch and unsnapped the latches to take her instrument out. She took out the papers for the first song then entered the recording room without a word. The studio was completely empty, so she had time to rehearse more than play.<p>

There was a small amp in the corner of the recording room. Guro plugged it up and tuned it a bit before plugging in her guitar and tuning it. A chair was on the other side of the room, so she walked over to it and dragged it closer to the amp. She placed her guitar down and went back into the modifying area to tune a few things. She flipped some switches to adjust the microphone's range then pushed a few buttons to enhance the sound of her guitar. At the computer, she ran a maintenance check of everything in the room then returned to the microphone in the recording room. She took the strap of the guitar over her head, struck a few chords, turned a knob on the amp, and began playing.

The riff was eery as she pressed her fingers along one string. She played very low chords that gradually rose in volume. It continued like this until her riffs became strong and angry. The words were already imprinted in the back of her head like ghostly white scribble in a black background. The words came out of her mouth in a goth growl as she sang.

**I ain't gotta**

**And I don't wanna**

**Do what you gotta**

**Don't care about ya**

**What you went through**

**Ain't got nothin' on me **

**Fucking sick**

**Is whatcha make me**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**No one in hell cares about **

**How you got to this place**

**Your senses get numb**

**Whenever you gaze in my face**

**You got no support**

**You talk right out of your ass**

**I've got the love of demons**

**And dead men in the masses**

**Hey, you, what did you say?**

**You wanna fight me**

**In front of ya babe?**

**Whatever, it's war**

**Flip over the cars**

**I'll keep on fightin' **

'**Til I can't take anymore**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**It's all fun and games**

**'Til ya breathless or maimed**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**Who ya think ya kiddin'**

**Words ain't gonna win this**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**Didn't your mama tell ya**

**Don't talk to strangers?**

**The strangest of strange**

**Yet the weirdest of them all**

**Very unlikely**

**I'll stop bleeding you **

'**Til you fall**

**Hey, you, what did you say?**

**You wanna fight me**

**In front of ya babe?**

**Whatever, it's war**

**Flip over the cars**

**I'll keep on fightin' **

'**Til I can't take anymore**

**Hey, you, what did you say?**

**You wanna fight me**

**In front of ya babe?**

**Whatever, it's war**

**Flip over the cars**

**I'll keep on fightin' **

'**Til I can't take anymore **

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**It's all fun and games**

**'Til ya breathless or maimed**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**Who ya think ya kiddin'**

**Words ain't gonna win this**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Riot**

**Riot**

**Smile of the Zombie**

**Smile of the Zombie**

Clapping echoed in her ears as she finished her riff. She thought it was a memory, but it was real as it grew louder. Guro snapped her head up to see Nakazawa and a few other men clapping! They must have come in as she was playing the song. Nakazawa gave her thumbs up before a producer walked over to the sound board and flipped a switch to talk to Guro.

"You started pretty early, Shioreta-san," the man said, hearing a printer print out some sheets in the copy room. "Did you set everything up when you came in here?"

"Only the guitar amp and the microphone," Guro answered, suddenly getting nervous. She was supposed to wait for them to come in, but the atmosphere was too quiet and empty. That's no excuse to touch someone else's equipment, though. Maybe she was gonna get fired again for this mishap. She said in almost a sad tone, "I'm sorry for messing up your stuff. I didn't mean to be obnoxious on the first day."

"Why are you apologizing?" the producer asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Your performance healed this wound."

"Wha-what?" Guro questioned, eyes widening.

"You have a pretty good knowledge of the equipment to have done a few simple things for the recording," another man said, walking over to the computer.

"Your music…" Nakazawa started, retrieving the score sheets from the copy room.

He came into the recording room and showed Guro her own work from the vocal covering to the rhythm guitar. Guro looked at it and smiled a bit, not realizing a copy room was in the studio. The notes were actually different from her previous recording at home. Even the notes on the original papers seemed to change but only in tempo. Most of her writing was the same as the digital copy.

"It's amazing," Nakazawa finished, whispering to himself almost.

"Thank god," Guro sighed in relief. "I would've been crushed if it turned out crappy."

"Hey, don't jinx yourself," the producer said, setting up the board again. "Some of the best musicians have records that don't sell much because of crappy songs. We wouldn't want you to suffer that same fate, but stuff happens when the audience gets picky."

"But this song is strong enough to jumpstart your career or at least get you some money," the computer modifier said. "What's the name of it?"

"Smile Riot Zombie," Guro answered. "It's the theme for the serial killer. I thought I could match his role in the movie with this song, but we'll see what the others think. They may tell me to scrap the whole idea altogether just to see me cry in my own anguish."

The computer modifier laughed at this then said, "Well, you know what? If they can this song, I will so steal it for my iPOD. The song would make a killer single for any metal head or even a hard rock or goth fan. The only thing you're missing is a band."

"Which is why we called one for you to perform live," Nakazawa said.

"Sweet, 'cause I was gonna make the argument that I don't need one for recording. I know how to play the other instruments," Guro said, surprising the men.

"You can play drums and bass guitar?" the producer asked, mouth opening.

"I can also play lead and keyboard," Guro added, taking out the next song she planned on performing. "If you have a drum set, I'll play the drum section for the next song to save you money on finding a drummer. I know most companies want to spend less rather than pay more."

"Takahiro-san," the producer called, now growing curious of Guro's talents. "Do we have a drum set next door we can roll in there?"

"Yeah, the set of blue drums is in pretty good condition. I don't know about the other sets."

"Alright, Shioreta-san, we'll let you record the drum section. While Takahiro gets the set, you can record your other songs with the guitar."

"Good luck," Nakazawa said, leaving the room to let Guro work her magic.

* * *

><p>Lory was in a horrible mood as he sat in his office that night over some last-minute thinking. He had finally stopped listening to Guro's first album about an hour ago, but the album itself put Maria to sleep on his luxurious couch. He figured out a way to give all his girls good debuts, but it was the first time in a long time that he began to second guess himself. His plan was a very good one, but he was concerned about Guro's innate ability to attract others so quickly. Her scores were the top in the LoveMe department, and she has received the most jobs in one day. Today was supposed to be a day-off for her so she could concentrate on her acting abilities, but tomorrow will be her working day. She'll be dressed in her uniform and work her hardest here in the building before her first gig.<p>

_I have to see her perform with that new band and see if she can honestly work with others as easily on stage as she can on LoveMe assignments, _Lory thought.

Lory sighed then said aloud, "Mogami-san, Kotonami-san, and Amamiya-san have all made national appearances on TV as actors, but Hiyashinsu-san hasn't made an appearance at all. If she can obtain 1,000 points, I'll make her a special guest on Kimagure Rock as an upcoming solo artist so she can at least gain a fan base even though she only did a few soundtracks for Ren's movie. Mogami-san has a deal with me already, but at the rate that she's going she won't be able to make a grand debut before Guro, and she was the first member in the LoveMe department when it started."

'_**When I hear love, I hear war…'**_

"That girl…" Lory said, looking down at some unsigned papers on his desk. "Mogami-san has a love for anything resembling a fairytale, and from what I've heard she hates Sho Fuwa and bully roles… But you know…" Lory trailed, smirking in mischievous thoughts. "She never said anything about having a role where she's being bullied… In fact, if she can make up to 500 points… I can give her a female lead role in a mystery romance flick, and… based on Hiyashinsu-san's acting as Umi Heel and lack of a national appearance; I'll give the supporting female role to her… Kotonami-san has had some drama roles, but she hasn't made any real progress with love either. Now, if she can obtain 250 points, I'll make her be someone's manager—someone impossible to control as a matter of fact. For Amamiya Chiori-san, she has to obtain up to 400 points if she wants to continue being in the LoveMe department; otherwise, she'll never improve on her own if she denies almost all the jobs I give to her."

_In order for these girls to love again,_ Lory thought, _they'll have to fight for a grand debut rather than earn it. Hiyashinsu-san should be quite familiar with fighting as it is, so let's see how she does as an entertainer altogether. I'm sure she thought all she needed was to write a few songs and do a few jobs until she got famous. Well, we'll see about that she-devil._

* * *

><p>Alright, guys, that's the end. What will Lory do to the girls to have them fight for love? Is it really Guro's fault for provoking this new side to Lory? Will the girls be able to get the points with ease or with a challenge? Find out next chapter!<p>

To Orihime Butterfly, I would like some more details on the challenge you gave me. I don't know where to start or what to do. I understand your ground rules, but I just want an in-depth description of everything. Thank you.

Also, for the next chapter, I'm planning on adding some parts of the manga to the chapter. I'm not adding an entire manga chapter to my chapters; I'm just adding bits and pieces like some old quotes or quick scenes to move the story along. Right now my story is completely focused on Guro because she's a new member who hit the ground running with LoveMe assignments, but I'm going back to Kyoko and Ren since Guro will be working mostly. I think that's all for now, so thank you for taking your time to read my notes and my story's new chapter.


	9. Battle Royale:  Heel Family v the world

"No…no…no, no, no, no, NO!"

Shouko repeated in horror as she turned on the TV for the first time that evening. She had just come out of her warm shower in a silk robe with her curly hair wrapped in a plush cotton towel. Her make-up was gone and she was going to relax for a while before putting oil on her body for bed. Every woman should do this for their skin, but only Shouko probably does this since she needs it the most. Working for that bratty Fuwa Sho was busy work, but it paid the bills and got her a decent life as his caretaker. She wondered how Kyoko could put up with him for so long. She was really amazing. However, putting up with Sho wasn't the only thing amazing about Kyoko. To Shouko's demise, Kyoko looked amazing when she was dressed up for the Dark Moon ceremony. You couldn't tell if it was her or not just by looking at her. Shouko came across a lot of talents as a manager, but she never would've guessed the young slave that Sho terrorized in their youth was this blossoming beauty. People were going to ask about her more and more just by her looking like that alone! That was really going to boost the fame battle to its peak!

To put more oil in the pan, Tsuruga Ren was with her as they spoke to the press. They actually looked like a great couple! Two hot people, who work for the same company and probably have great chemistry as opposed to Sho, getting together for the same film and a good one on top of that? Love is bound to spark somewhere, and Sho was going to be as pissed as he was on Valentine's Day if he finds out. His temperature will freeze!

"Ne, Shouko-san, did you use up all the hot water or what?"

Shouko mentally screamed before turning off the TV and rushed to push Sho into his room. She screeched, "The hot water's just fine, Sho, so go take a long shower while I take care of the TVs. Something's wrong with the damn signal again."

"I was watching TV a moment ago…" Sho replied.

"Well, I read a letter saying the signal would experience some difficulties later tonight," Shouko tried. "The only channels available are late-night porn."

"What man denies himself a chance to see late-night porn?" Sho questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"_You're_ not a man!" Shouko insulted, shoving Sho into the bathroom. "Now take a shower and don't turn on the TV for any reason or I will have you neutered and living out on the streets!"

"You'd go that far just so I don't watch porn?" Sho shouted.

"No, but I will make you look so uncool that you will wish I had," Shouko threatened, scaring the crap out of Sho for now.

Sho growled under his breath then slammed the door behind him. He thought, _What has gotten into her? Did I do something or say something wrong? I can't believe she doesn't think I'm a man!_

Shouko sighed as she unplugged the TVs in her house. Somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew tomorrow was going to be a long day. Suddenly, she remembered Sho had to finish recording new material. Where was his sitting room going to be this time? Shouko ran to her room to retrieve her cellphone and called the agency to be sure there weren't going to be any TVs anywhere around Sho at any time.

* * *

><p>"It's nighttime already," Kyoko sighed, pouring warm tea in a cup.<p>

Ren was lying in his bed, watching Kyoko pour tea into his cup. Ever since he nearly choked the hell out of Murasame, he hasn't been able to regain his calming senses. When he heard Murasame's words after the make-up was done, something in him just flat-out snapped.

'_**British men are gentlemen? What a joke! A true British man wouldn't treat Japanese people like this unless he was denying his own Japanese blood running through his veins. Can't be fully British 'cause you look Asian, can't be Japanese since you h**__**ardly ever speak the language? I feel sorry for you. You can't even talk to your own co-stars; talking is what makes you human. Since you don't talk, you already lost being a human. You fit the role of the death king, B.J., perfectly. No soul, no heart, just an angry, cold-blooded killer. That's all you are, and that's all you ever will be!' **_

_I can't keep losing control like this, _Ren thought. _Even though I keep telling myself that Murasame isn't the man who hired me long ago, Kuon doesn't listen and I'm trapped by my own rage again._

'_**Well, humans can't stop love. Love is what makes us human.' **_

Ren gasped at this and remembered that Hiyashinsu-san, or Umi-chan, said she working on some music in one of the studios. He did feel better when he was with the whole "family." After all, they were supposed to be cousins. That atmosphere they shared just about erased any negative feeling he may have had. Perhaps the president didn't just send another LoveMe member here to record songs. Maybe she was there to cheer everyone up. Kyoko seemed to like her and worried about her temper just as much if not more than she worried about him, and she spoke some deep words that he could understand. It was possible that she understood exactly how he felt. She was older than him by a few years unless she was lying about being 24, but he doubted it. Hiyashinsu-san was way more down-to-earth than that. If she lied, she would've said so. He could also be trying to depend on the older woman's wisdom. Being a rebel himself and getting advice from a rebel may or may not be such a good idea, but it won't hurt to try. Would it?

"Setsu-chan," Cain called, rising out of his spread-eagle position. "Do you want to go visit Umi-chan while she's still here?"

Kyoko snapped her head around then smiled at him. She had forgotten her "nee-san" was at the studio recording some music. After seeing Ren nearly kill Murasame, who she threatened mind you, she was up for seeing something to cheer her up. She could ask questions about work like an annoying little sister and everything! Ren nodded at her expression as a "Yes, I would love to see Umi-chan!" He then stood up and walked to the bathroom.

"I'm gonna take a bath before visiting," Cain said. "I hate when she talks shit about my scent."

"She's only mad at you because you surprised her," Setsu answered, making Ren turn around. "I can't believe you tried to cook, knowing very well you can't. I don't know why I put up with you two's bullshit, but… I must say you handled her crying act terribly. Did you forget that Umi-chan's goal was for me to get away from you and be with her?" Ren gasped at this, completely forgetting that the president made Hiyashinsu-san his rival. Setsu chuckled darkly then said, "What a bonehead! You did forget!"

"What are you talking about?" Cain questioned.

"Umi-chan said she loves me like a mother, remember? Couldn't you tell she just said that to get me away from you? If you lose to her, doesn't that mean you're not a man worth swooning over?" Setsu asked, surprising Cain and making him gasp. "I've always looked up to nii-san because you're strong and beautiful but it makes you so cute. To think someone as tough and strong doesn't even compare to a woman… What are you going to do if I fall for her, nii-san?"

* * *

><p>"Alright, that's it, Shioreta-san!" Takahiro signals, finishing off the few modifications he had left.<p>

"Cool," Guro said, walking out of the recording room.

She crashed on the couch at the back wall and sighed. Nakazawa chuckled at her behavior, finding it cute for the creepiest woman in LME. The producer walked over to the copy room and gathered all the music sheets for "Smile Riot Zombie." Stapling could be heard as Takahiro, the computer modifier, rolled his chair over to the adjuster board to revamp some tunes. He rewound the song and played it over the speakers for Guro to hear her work. The intro was eerily slow as the drums played a soft rhythm until the riffs picked up. After a minute or so, the guitar and the drums created such a heavy tune that it made the song dark and edgy. For the first time ever, Guro felt she didn't want to change a thing. It was great the way it was.

"Now that is a bitchin' song," Guro remarked as the vocals poured through the speakers.

"Dude, I can't believe you finished it in one hour," Takahiro said, nodding. "The work was really in the other songs you were doing."

"I wish it were like this when I was doing my demo tape," Guro said, taking her hair out. "But I'm not complaining. I'm glad I got a head start in the beginning. Get some of the work done so you don't waste time and you'll be flying through the rest."

"I totally agree," the producer said, walking back into the recording room. "Hey, I hear you're doing a gig out in Club Citta. When is it?"

"Tomorrow night," Guro answers, wiggling her toes. "If you're not too busy, you can hang around to see everyone kick some ass. I'm still kind of worrying how this will all work because I don't want to steal the show from the band, but I don't want to ruin my own reputation as a live performer either. For now, I'm writing this new material for the movie. Pretty soon I'm going to have to figure out what songs I want to incorporate and what songs I know the band will be able to play."

"We have permission to use the studio for as long as we need," Nakazawa said. "If you want to pick out some songs, you can do it here or at home. I wouldn't want you to feel forced, but I want you to be aware of your resources."

"Nah, I'm honored," Guro said, scratching her shoulder. "This whole ordeal could've been way worse. I feel blessed to have it go so smoothly, honestly."

Everyone heard the door creak open as the song faded to its end. They turned to the door with raised eyebrows and a hint of suspicion before recognizing a familiar, plump face. Konoe, the director of Ren's newest film, walked into the room with a curious smile. He waved to everyone, taking notice to the relaxed vibe in the room. It was perfect for him since Ren gave him a scare with Murasame a few hours ago. Though, it might not be a good idea to mention that to these people. They hardly know Ren. Well, Nakazawa might since he's the head of the music department in LME.

"Hi, guys," Konoe greeted. "I hear we're making some theme songs in Studio A, so I came to see the musician who was working back here."

"You must shake hands with this young lady here then," Nakazawa said, mildly introducing Guro to Konoe. "Isn't she cute?"

"Ah," Konoe gestured, reaching out to shake Guro's slender hand. Guro's wardrobe suddenly reminded him of Kyoko when they first met. Her skirt wasn't as high, but the black made her look dangerous and the gothic lacing added to that creepy feel. He said, "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure's mine," Guro said, smiling warmly. "How's the movie coming along?"

Konoe chirped an 'eh' before showing his worried face. Guro noticed this but remained silent until the director said, "Well, we're still working on it, but it's coming along."

"Ah, I see..." Guro responded, wondering what happened while she was gone so fast. "Cool. Well, I finished the serial killer's theme song. If you want, you can listen to this and judge it from there or you can return to your work and come back later. Seems like you're pretty busy. You had a weird face just now."

"Oh, no, I'm on break right now. We're going to be moving to location in a few weeks, so I was just a bit nervous," Konoe said, waving his hands to show he was fine.

"Ne, director-san," Guro whispered evilly, frightening the plump man. "You wouldn't be lying to me or anything, would you? I'd hate to have a bad impression of you…"

"Ah, no, no," Konoe tried, growing blue in the face from the demonic skeletons dancing around Guro's body. Such a creepy aura! He said desperately, "I promise everything is fine. Really!"

"Really?" Guro hissed, skeletons trapping Konoe by his arms.

"Absolutely, ma'am!" Konoe responded. "I was just stopping by like a fine howdy-do and wanted to hear the songs you've been doing so far. I swear!"

"Oh, okay," Guro said, suddenly turning into that lovable character she was before. The skeletons and hell fires were gone! She stretched her hand to the couch then said, "Please, sit and enjoy. All of you relax while I scurry to the potty. I promise I'll be right back."

* * *

><p>President Takarada was finally at home tucking his darling granddaughter, Maria, into her bed. It was a good thing he bought her a stereo system; otherwise, she would've badgered him about wanting to listen to Guro's album one more time. Every time someone mentioned that despicable woman his blood began to boil uncontrollably. How was someone, who was supposed to have lost her love for something, able to draw so much attention? He was confident his hair line was slowly receding! As he left his baby's room, he heard a soft ringing noise echo from his own bedroom. Fortunately, his room was right next to Maria's and probably the most grand and spacious. All he had to do was walk to the side door and voila!<p>

He was face-to-face with the device and noticed an unknown number on the small display screen. He hummed in thought, wondering who it could be, and realized he hadn't given Guro his cellphone number like he did with the other LoveMe members. It wasn't like she needed his help anyway. Stupid, little girl…

"Moshi-mosh," Lory answered.

_**'President Takarada, this is Fuwa Sho of Akatoki Agency. I have a request.'**_

_Hoho_, Lory thought, smirking to himself. _This whole adventure has just gotten interesting…_

"What would an accomplished talent like yourself want with me?" Lory asked sarcastically. He had to be about Kyoko; there's no other justifiable reason, especially since he was hanging around on the Dark Moon set a few times.

_**'I wanted to know if you would be interested in letting your newest talent, Kyoko, cooperate with some promotional work for me.'**_

"I can ask, but Kyoko's not my newest talent," Lory said, smiling. "What sort of work are you considering for her?"

_**'It's for modeling a few PVs. She didn't make any appearances for the PV before, so we want her more involved in the process.'**_

"I see. Would you like her number then?"

* * *

><p>"When's Tsuruga-san gonna come out of the shower?" Kyoko groaned silently.<p>

She was lying in her bed, waiting for Ren to come out of the bathroom, but she became impatient as time went by. She wanted to see Guro-nee-san, but she couldn't rush Ren either. He was still experiencing problems of his own, even though he did suggest they visit her. Now that he made the suggestion, she couldn't contain much of her excitement. Her cellphone rang, interrupting her flailing about in her bed. She sat up, looked at the caller ID, and somehow didn't recognize the number. It could have been one of those people who sell things to you for an unbelievably phony deal, but it bothered her as it kept ringing. Growing curious, she answered the phone and took a deep breath.

"Hai, moshi-mo - ?"

_**'You are a two-timing, conniving, blood-sucking vampiress!'**_

_This voice…_ Kyoko thought, feeling confused yet annoyed. _I know this angry voice… Could it be? No, that's impossible. I never gave him any contact information! Who would…? Why President-san? Why would you give that bastard Sho my number?_

"Oh yeah, ya bastard! Well, you're a pussy!" Kyoko shouted, throwing her phone at a nearby wall. Suddenly, she realized what she just did and covered her mouth.

_Wha - ?_ Kyoko thought. _Why did I say something so vulgar? I've always hated Shotaro since he dumped me, but I would never use that kind of language against him. So why…?_ Kyoko slowly uncovered her mouth then thought; _Does that mean Guro-nee-san influenced this side to me?_

"Mogami-san…" Ren called, looking at the phone's pieces scattered on the wall and floor. "What just happened?"

"Eh?" Kyoko chirped, noticing Ren adorning himself with just a towel. "Nii-san, are you crazy? Go put some clothes on!"

"Who was on that phone?" Ren asked, growing unexpectedly angry. Kyoko chirped another 'eh' as her grudges came out of her body to swirl around Ren's tall form. Ren asked another time, "Kyoko-chan, who was on the phone?"

"A…prank caller? He called me a lame prude," Kyoko answered, shivering from her angry senpai's glare.

"Is that it?" Ren questioned, knowing it was a steadfast lie.

"That's exactly it, I promise," Kyoko answered.

Ren hummed in thought then returned to his bath without another word…


	10. Progress to Hell

"Wha - ? Wha - ? I was sure that was the right phone number," Sho said, staring into his phone in shock. "That bastard president better not have dooped me."

"Sho what's going o - ?" Shouko started, realizing Sho's iPhone was playing the video with Kyoko and Ren standing next to each other. She sighed and said, "Just when I thought I hid you away from all that..."

"Hid me away?" Sho questioned, angry that his own manager would keep this secret from him.

He still didn't quite understand why Kyoko's romance with Tsuruga Ren pissed him off, but it seemed like that girl was doing everything within her power to forget about him and move on to Ren like some love-sucking leech. She really was a woman bent on love. One day, he'll be the hottest star in Japan with women drooling all over him. A hot babe with big breasts, long legs, and a cool attitude will definitely be his superb arm trophy. Since Vie Ghoul was shot down out of the picture, his goal to becoming an amazing star felt that much closer, especially with his new ballads on the second album.

_But, _Sho thought, frowning silently. _Had it not been for Kyoko I wouldn't have gotten this far. I would have fallen into my own grave with the bomb set to time._

Now, Kyoko is forgetting about him. After unintentionally saving him from failure, she continues to move on and meet other people. She's winning over some of the hottest stars and their hearts. He may be inwardly thanking Kyoko for the upgrade, but deep down Sho felt she was probably thanking him most. Had he not dumped her in the first place, she would have never become an actress and gain the recognition or support from Japan's top actor, Tsuruga Ren. She couldn't be intentionally meeting and attracting these people. Being with LME earned you a few connections if you managed to make one decent friend. Ren, on the other hand, was not a decent anything. He probably saw Kyoko as a freaking rabbit to a wolf, and Ren was the wolf eating that rabbit!

"THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY CRUNCH-CRUNCH, BASTARD?" Sho exclaimed, jealous fangs protruding from his mouth.

"Oh god, not again," Shouko sighed, rolling her eyes.

* * *

><p>Guro was walking down the hallway with Nakazawa to the parking lot, feeling refreshed that she was able to work on some new songs. If she was lucky enough, the songs might be recognized worldwide and every station would play them. She would be so stoked! However, that brought her to her main concern: the gig tomorrow will hopefully turn out alright with this new band. She heard from Nakazawa that the band was currently having some trouble with their lead singer, and the main reason why they were chosen to back her up was because the band was threatening to fire the lead if he didn't straighten out and perform seriously. Guro was furious at the news, but she remained calm until she heard the full story from the band. She could help them out minutely, but she wanted no part of that band or their drama. As far as she was concerned, she was a lone ranger and would not accept any band of any kind from LME or any other company. She wanted to choose who made the cut in the band and that was the final straw in the bunch.<p>

"Umi-chan!"

Guro turned to see Kyoko trotting towards her, Ren leisurely following her. She had completely forgotten about her acting exercise. Taking a deep breath, she felt her character return to her body and had a glittering smile that surprised Kyoko. Ren dug in his ear as Cain would, and Guro immediately pounced onto Kyoko as she was approaching her to cuddle as Umi probably would.

"SETSU-CHAN!" Umi shouted, swamping Setsuka with maroon-lipped kisses.

"Kya!" Setsu yelped, feeling the floor kissing her shoulder blades. "Umi-chan... that really hurts! You know for a big baby, you've got some pretty amazing strength."

"For someone who has a martial artist for a brother, you're amazingly weak," Umi commented, glaring at Cain.

"For a rockstar, you're really gay," Cain remarked, scoffing.

"Sorry, I'm only gay for Setsu-chan," Umi replied, smiling brightly while rocking lower legs back and forth and cuddling Setsuka like a black cat. "So what did my darling cousins come all the way to meet me for, hm?"

"We were coming to visit you," Setsu answered, pouting a little. "Are you finished work at the studio?"

"Yep!" Umi chirped happily. "I finished all the songs for Cain's new movie, right Nakazawa-san?"

"A-a-a-a-ah, hai..." Nakazawa responded, clearly confused by the acting.

"That's right!" Umi said. "I hope I get more work like this some day: working with equipment, friendly producers, and my own lyrics. I'm really happy LME accepted me. If President-san had thrown me out, I would have lost everything, you know... I already lost so much... My hopes, my dreams, my true potential...all would have disappeared like a strung-out note, but with a little luck I'll get everything back."

Kyoko, no longer acting as Setsuka, saw a small light of hope in Guro's eyes as she spoke softly to the people around her. It was a similar expression of painful happiness swishing through her eyes. Kyoko almost understood how the president couldn't respond to this look of genuine pain. It was as if she saw the moon glimmering in her eyes. She parted her lips for a moment then said, "Umi-chan, are you talking about your mother?"

"Sorry, I stopped acting once I said hope," Guro said, getting up. She reached her hand out to Setsu to help her up then proceeded to look at Ren - not Cain Heel. She said, "Ne, Tsuruga-san?"

"Eh, hai?" Ren responded, raising an eyebrow.

Guro's eyes immediately turned white and demonic before she snatched Nakazawa's briefcase, whirled it around in a typhoon-like motion, and chucked it at his head spot-on. She didn't miss him by an inch or anything; it was a dead hit to the forehead that shocked everyone except her of course. She blew steam out of her monstrous nostrils and growled angrily. She pointed a finger at him and said...

"Stop fucking up my chances to get recognized as a musician! You're letting your kouhai, some dickhead, and a newcomer show you up at your own skill for fuck's sake! How are you supposed to be the top actor in Japan and you keep losing control because a dickhead's getting the better of you? There's no way anyone can get better than you if you're already the number one guy, right? Stop dickin' around or I'll go to rehearsal, snatch you bald, and steal the role and act it out for you! You're a man, get it together! You'll never win at this rate, douchebag!"

Ren gasped at this and was silenced. He wasn't sure how much Guro knew about his situation, but whatever provoked her to cuss him out in front of Nakazawa and Kyoko was clearly something that had to be done. She was right. There wasn't any progress in beating Kuon at all. He needed more support than this. Kyoko was his light, and he wouldn't dare just shove her to the side. He needed her more than ever. Guro, however, was a newcomer and got into her role as an annoying cousin faster than any musician. Plus, there was something in her eyes that told a story of something she lost that was precious to her. He was getting in the way of retrieving whatever precious thing that had her name on it. What was happening to his life all of a sudden? It takes two women to get him out of his own misery, and one of them doesn't even care that she cussed him out. How dare she! What does she know about being an outsider?

"Hiyashinsu-san, you don't even know what Ren is like. Why would you say such vulgar things to him? So unbecoming of a young woman," Nakazawa hissed, practically pinching Guro's side. It wasn't working on her, though. She just picked up her guitar case and strutted off. He sighed and said, "I'm so sorry for the trouble. I don't know what got into her."

"Nakazawa-san?" Ren called, smiling brightly. "Why would the head of the singing department allow a troublesome talent like that to speak to her senpai in such a manner and go unpunished, hm?"

_Oh crap! _Kyoko thought, panicking and hoping she could escape next to Guro's side. _He's angry at Guro-nee-san for what she said to him!_

"Ah, but Ren-san, she's probably worried about what the director told her earlier today," Nakazawa tried.

"What'd he say earlier?" Kyoko asked.

"Well, I wasn't around to hear the story. Hiyashinsu-san pestered him into explaining why he had such a depressed expression when he entered the studio, so she would know the details," Nakazawa said, seeing Guro walking down stairs to the parking lot. "Last I actually heard, he was on his way to speak to Murasame then you Tsuruga-san. It's not any of my business to know what's going on, but Hiyashinsu-san must be worried about something that happened to you. If you end up losing this job, Hiyashinsu-san's chances of having an anonymous debut through her music go down the drain. She'll still play at Club Citta in Kawasaki, but it won't be as major. She doesn't actually know that her gig in Club Citta is a LoveMe assignment."

"A LoveMe assignment?" Kyoko questioned. "She's getting another one already? That's incredible!"

"Hai! It is amazing, isn't it?" Nakazawa remarked, rubbing his chin in pride. He suddenly remembered something important and said, "Oh! I almost forgot. The president wants you to pick up your LoveMe pad tomorrow morning. He finished going over them."

"I've been meaning to ask what he needed to go over them for," Kyoko whispered to herself.

"He was making comparisons and goals for each of you girls," Nakazawa said, looking off to the side. "Apparently, he was very displeased with the results of you three girls versus Hiyashinsu-san. She scored the highest."

"EH?" Kyoko screeched, shocked and amazed but more shocked than anything.

"She ranks second in completing her LoveMe assignments with high scores under you, Mogami-san, and she's had high scores on top of that," Nakazawa commented, stabbing Kyoko with a verbal knife. "Had she not had so many penalties for some of her jobs, she would have had 500 points last I checked. This next assignment may just get her to that score, so the president added a pink checkpoint page to each pad. On that page is a goal and a status report written by the president himself. I can't tell you much more than that. You all will have to read the notes yourselves and see what's what. The president is calling for all of you girls tomorrow morning, so Hiyashinsu-san will be meeting the others I suppose. There's no telling how that's gonna work out. She's already a handful. Put with you three and it's like a living hell...a big, pink, living hell."

Kyoko turned her head and whispered, "It can't be that bad."

"Ne, Nakazawa-san," a man called, running to the man. "Where's Shioreta-san?"

"In the parking lot by my car. Something wrong?"

"No, I wanted to know what time she was playing in Kawasaki."

"Oh, I have the flyers in the car. Hang tight," Nakazawa said, taking out his keys. He turned to Kyoko and Ren and said, "Hey, try to take it easy while filming's stopped, alright? I don't think I can handle another outburst from Hiyashinsu-san tomorrow morning. Oh, and be careful talking to the president."

"Eh?" Kyoko chirped.

"He's pissed off now but I can only imagine tomorrow's pain," Nakazawa whispered gravely.

* * *

><p>Kanae was in despair mode as of today. Why? Because the president called her and he didn't sound happy per his usual self. That and there were still people who mocked the LoveMe uniform's gaudy pink color no matter how much she tried to disguise herself. If a dew rag and sunglasses wasn't going to be enough to ward off embarrassment demons, she was going to have to come up with some other method of masking her shame. However, that was less important than the unhappy president of the biggest agency in show business. She walked up to his door and inhaled deeply for some mental preparation then exhaled when she felt she was ready.<p>

"Moko-san!"

"Gah!"

Apparently, she shouldn't have exhaled yet. Kanae flinched at Kyoko's shrilly voice and turned to see stars following the younger girl. What now? Kanae prepared her friendship-skinship shielding techniques, having picked one in a split second, and held her hand out to block the revolting embraces from Kyoko. However, the minute her hand was centimeters apart from Kyoko's cheek, someone snatched her hand away and took her wrist in a vice grip. Kanae looked into the face of the person and gasped lightly. It was a woman? Her aura was powerful and evil. She could almost see the devil roaring in his guttural voice and spraying spittle all over her shoes. The saliva was acidic and burned her into the floor. She wasn't moving anywhere under this woman's glare. Kanae then took notice to the woman's clothes, having thought she was Kyoko's new bodyguard or something. The woman wore the gaudy pink overalls like herself and Kyoko, but the style was completely different. The top was open to reveal a shredded black shirt with "LoveMe" written in yellow gothic calligraphy and a ghostly skeleton posing above the letters. It had a ghost white cloak on its body and gray bones holding a rotten, reddish heart in its claw. The skeleton was in the form of a grim reaper in white! Who was this person? The LoveMe member from hell?

"Ah, Guro-nee-san!" Kyoko greeted, running up to the other woman.

Guro smiled warmly and released Kanae from her painful grasp. Her hair was completely covering her eyes since she wore a LoveMe baseball cap with the white grim reaper in the center front. Only Kyoko was close enough to see her beautiful blue eyes hidden beneath her black hair. Kanae watched as Kyoko hugged this Guro woman tightly, almost snuggling between her breasts as she did so. Then, she saw something that made her a tad angry: Guro embraced Kyoko back and shuffled her hair, which made Kyoko giggle and smile brightly. It was a soft, sweet smile that even she hadn't seen before.

"Ohiyo, imouto-chan," Guro greeted in a whispering tone.

_Imouto-chan? Kyoko never told me she had a sister... She never told me about her family at all... _Kanae thought, watching the other two women with some interest. _Who is Guro?_

"Did the president actually let you wear the LoveMe uniform like that, nee-san?" Kyoko questioned, releasing Guro from the hug.

"Well, he never argued with me about it, so I guess he doesn't know what to say," Guro answered, not actually remembering him saying anything when she wore the she-devil.

"I wonder if he'll let us change up the uniform a bit," Kyoko commented, thinking about the many frilly designs she could come up with.

"So long as what you're thinking has LoveMe written all over it, I think it's okay."

"She's probably thinking about princesses," Kanae blurted out, frowning at Guro. As if grabbing her delicate wrist wasn't enough to get her pissed off, now this woman was talking to Kyoko as if they've been best friends for years. Kyoko was her...best friend, right? She should know more about her than this demon! Kanae continued, "That's the kind of person she is. While you two are talking, can I get someone to introduce me?"

"You're a big girl now, aren't you?" Guro questioned, no longer smiling. "Introduce yourself."

Kanae growled in her throat before taking a deep breath and saying, "Kotonami Kanae, aspiring top actress of LME and Japan. Second member of the LoveMe department. You are?"

"She's Hiyashinsu Guro-san," Kyoko introduced. "She's the newest member of LoveMe."

"Speaking of which, imouto-chan, how many members are there in this department?" Guro asked, folding her arms against her chest lightly.

"Not including you, there's only three of us," Kyoko responded.

_Hoho, see there, Hiyashinsu-youkai-san?_ Kanae thought, laughing mentally. _Kyoko doesn't even consider you as part of our department. She probably doesn't even consider you much of a challenge the way I do. You're probably just some lonely housewife who lost her acting spirit. Pathetic! The smell on you is reeking with plain, boring woman._

"Hm...odd."

"Eh?" Kanae questioned.

"I thought there would be more than four people. Well, we'd better go in and see what the president's pink panties have to do with us. He obviously has them in a bunch. I heard he was maaaadd at us."

_Mad? _Kyoko and Kanae thought. _At all of us?_

Guro opened the door, waiting for the other two girls to enter, and closed it after her once they came in the office. It was pitch black inside, so Kyoko groped for a light switch. As she continued to grope, she felt a switch and flipped it only to find eery red lights flashing in the room. Abruptly, white lights flashed to reveal an awkward green zombie coming at them. This scared both Kanae and Kyoko as they screamed in unison and huddled against each other, but did little for Guro since the only response that came from her was a raised eyebrow. Kyoko grabbed Kanae's forearm and pulled her against Guro's warm chest, feeling a little more protected than before. Guro felt for another switch and flipped it, turning off the white flashing light and the red lights. Warm yellow spotlights came on instead and another familiar girl was clutching a pillow on the president's sofa and curled into a bundle.

"A-a-amamiya-san!" Kyoko called, relaxing against Guro's chest.

Chiori popped her head up and saw Kyoko, Kanae, and some other woman standing by the door. She wasted no time in running towards them and huddling in their warmth. She had been there early to receive whatever lecture the president was going to give her, but the minute she sat down the lights went out and she couldn't feel her way out. Once she saw the zombie thing appear right next to her, she just huddled in a corner and didn't get back up to try to escape from the darkness.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Chiori questioned, trembling a bit but feeling safer.

"We'd like to know the same thing," Kanae said. "Kyoko tell your bodyguard to hit another switch!"

"H-ha-hai," Kyoko said, turning to Guro and nodding to her.

Guro reached further down the wall, counting seven switches, and flipped the last one. That turned on all the office lights, revealing several figurines and the president sitting in his chair wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, black trenchcoat, red button-up shirt, and black leather gloves. He looked like he was sleeping. Kyoko noticed that the president wore a silver cross around his neck while Kanae spotted a string of garlic protecting their LoveMe pads. Guro chuckled a bit, surprising the three girls, and began clapping at the horror film props in the room. A small smile found itself on her lips.

"Now, this is my kind of atmosphere. Well done, vampire hunter Takarada," Guro complimented, walking over to the unoccupied sofa. She sat down, taking notice to a living tarantula walking across the table. It lifted its front legs like it was waving hello to her. She sat up a bit and got close to the furry arachnid, saying, "Ah, killer! You're actually real! Are you gonna bite me if I pet you, buddy?"

The president sighed, wondering how Guro wasn't afraid of the biggest spider on the planet but the other three were petrified. He lifted his head and placed a cheek on his hand, replying, "Yes, you can pet him. He's friendly."

"Sweet. It's okay, buddy, I won't hurt you. You're so cute," Guro complimented, holding a gentle hand out for the spider to crawl on. It walked along Guro's arms, then her shoulders, and finally on the rim of the sofa. "There you go. See there. Nothing bad happened to you."

"You're honest to Buddha not afraid of a giant spider, are you?" Lory asked, contemplating on ways to scare Guro. One day, he knew, one day he would get her.

"I had a pet spider once for my birthday. The poor thing died in the cold one morning when I went to feed him," Guro said, pouting a little. She played with the tarantula's legs as it lifted them to wave again. She said, "This one's just a big fuzzy-wuzzy. Isn't that right, cutie?"

The spider hissed as if saying thank you and allowed Guro to pet and scratch its back. Kyoko, Kanae, and Chiori were just shocked that Guro would even consider the mother of arachnids cute and fuzzy like some rabbit. They huddled close together far away from Guro, the spider, and the president. He went through such elaborate measures just to scare them? Why? What kind of ego does he have? Why is Guro still petting that spider?

"You three can sit on those chairs over the - eh?" the president looked over his shoulder to see Kyoko, Kanae, and Chiori sitting next to his desk with the chairs on his right side. "There? Anou, the reason I called all of you here today was so we could discuss your progress in the LoveMe department. I have each of your LoveMe pads on my desk. Inside of the pad is a checkpoint page. On the front side, I have written your job status, point status, and overall grade within your LoveMe career. On the back side is your first goal for the rest of the year. If you can reach this goal within that year, I will personally add 3,000 points to your overall score."

Kyoko, Kanae, and Chiori gasped at this. Who wouldn't? 3000 points just because you completed a goal within the remaining year? That's amazing!

"Also, along with the personal goal is a reward. For instance, Amamiya-san, I'll use you as an example. Suppose you manage to complete your goal within the remaining year, not only will you receive 3000 points but you will also be sent to France for a lead role. Those are the kind of possibilities you have as a reward for your hard work."

"What happens if we can't complete our goal with the current time limit?" Kanae asked.

"Then your LoveMe work will practically double," Lory answered, smirking. "The amount of jobs you can obtain on your own within the remaining year will double in amount should you fail completing your goal. For some of you, the number is monstrous. For others, not so much. It all depends. Now, give me my spider back, so I can put him away."

"Aw," Guro said, pouting. The spider lifted its arms again and walked to Lory, saying its hissing goodbye before being placed inside its tank. "Bye, buddy."

"His name is Shelly!" Lory huffed, turning to Kyoko as a form of encouragement to retrieve her pad. "Well, don't just sit there. Get your pads and read the checkpoint pages! We haven't got all day. I have a meeting in thirty minutes."

"Ah, hai! I'll go first," Kyoko piped, walking up to the president's desk. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, felt for the tab sticking out of the side of her LoveMe notebook, and opened the pad to the pink page. Once she opened her eyes, she chirped a confused, "Eh? Eh?"

_E~h...?_ Kyoko thought, thousands of question marks just riddling her conscious mind.

_**'Why has the president given me such a low grade when I do the most work?'**_a spirit complained.

_**'It's not fair! Not fair, president!'**_another spirit remarked.

_**'We can't attack the president, though. We need him to beat Fuwa Sho. But this is just ridiculous! Why such a low score? Why are all the scores just about low?'**_the last spirit said.

**Kyoko Mogami avg grade = 64.02 = D**

Can obtain at least 92 points on each job == B

Can obtain 7 more jobs within the remaining year == D

Can obtain 61 points for each job within that time == F

Has an average number of 5 jobs within her career == F

Has an average of 65 points per job == D


	11. Pathway to Hell

Alright, it's been a while since I've updated this story, so I have this little snipet of a chapter going. This is probably the shortest I've ever written. I haven't been able to catch up on the manga, so a lot of the juicy drama is missing here. This is just some comic relief until I catch up on the manga. Once I do that, you'll see more of Guro and her story along with small spoilers of Kyoko's life in LME. Without further delay, here's a teaser chapter for you guys.

* * *

><p>"What is wrong with the score <em>you<em> earned? I've even gone through the trouble of asking how you got your scores to begin with and now you _insult_ my findings? I shouldn't have to back track on anyone's scores, but you all have such terrible progress starting off, I'm actually concerned about how you'll make it as a star," Lory said, making sure to give eye contact to each woman, but he kept his gaze on Guro a little longer until she made contact with him. However, she was far more concentrated on her checkpoint page to engage in the eye game.

"Ne, President-san," Guro called in a small voice. She walked over to Lory and tilted her notebook to ask, "What does this mean?"

Lory looked at what Guro was talking about and smirked visibly. Now, this was getting interesting. The dark woman had pointed to the back of her checkpoint page and noticed that on it was a national television appearance as a guest for Bridge Rock and a small list of other extra rewards. Each girl had a main reward and some sub-rewards for good efforts, but they had to earn the smaller rewards much like the main reward. For Guro, she had a lot of work and points to earn to get to her rewards; in fact, in order to earn her television appearance, she had to receive a minimum of 580 points and 7 positive comments for each job. Her smaller rewards only had vague mentions such as single promotion, which could mean anything literally, PV appearance, and single collab, which was abbreviated for something undecipherable. Guro finally made eye contact with the man after she heard a chuckle come from him and simply watched as he grinned wider.

"It means you have to try to obtain jobs for the rest of the month to earn these points. If you somehow manage to obtain over the amount of points you need for the main reward, you can receive other rewards. For instance, Kyoko-chan bring me your pad."

"Ah, hai!" Kyoko chirped, handing the president her LoveMe notepad.

She peeked over Lory's hands to see the back of her checkpoint page along with him and chirped an 'eh?' when she saw her main reward: a supporting role in an independent comedy film. She suddenly became a little nervous at the sight of the main reward. She had never performed any comedic roles previous to Bo. It was also an independent film. That could mean anything. It could be some ecchi comedy some creepy otaku made!

"Okay, Kyoko-chan, you have to earn 600 points for your main reward and at least 1 positive comment for each job. You normally do quite well with your jobs, so I have no real concerns for you doing well. Your only problem is obtaining them, especially with the schedule you have now. In fact," Lory said, steam blowing out of his nose, "with exception to Hiyashinsu-san, you all are having problems obtaining jobs!"

"W-w-w-w-wh-wha? How?" Kanae questioned, not understanding how a woman with a vice grip and demonic aura can obtain any job. "Everyone's got a busy schedule. Obtaining these jobs is a challenge!"

"Evidently, not for Hiyashinsu-san," Lory grumbled, eyes glowing and dark clouds spewing from his body.

While he proceeded to argue with Chiori and Kanae, Kyoko snuck over to where Guro was standing as she read over her page. She was quite deep in thought as she remained quiet. Kyoko decided to speak to her kouhai of LoveMe and said, "The president's fighting with us."

"I see that, imouto-chan," Guro responded, looking at Kyoko incredulously, almost as if she was insulted for not openly seeing the fight going on.

"How was your score, nee-chan?" Kyoko asked.

Guro tipped her LoveMe pad over and watched Kyoko's expressionless face as she blanked out. The darker woman openly smirked as rage built around Kyoko's form. She guessed it was because of the checkpoint page and her scores.

**Guro Hiyashinsu avg grade = 100.64 = A**

Can obtain at least 93 points on each job == A

Can obtain 908 more jobs within the remaining year == A

Can obtain 79 points for each job within that time == C

Has an average number of 3 jobs within her career == A

Has an average of 79 points per job == C

**'WHAT THE CRAP IS THIS!?' **Kyoko's grudges questioned. **'Why did the president give this scary woman amazing scores and she just got here? How did she get these scores? This is madness! Blasphemy! She's bribing people!'**

"Mogami-san!" Chiori called, disrupting Kyoko's spiritual rantings. She stomped over towards Kyoko and showed her senpai her own grades. She was just as raving mad as a stamped bull! She shouted, "Tell me how this is fair!"

**Chiori Amamiya avg grade = 29.44 = F**

Can obtain at least 24 points on each job == F

Can obtain 2 more jobs within the remaining year == F

Can obtain 55 points for each job within that time == F

Has an average number of 0 jobs within her career == F

Has an average of 50 points per job == F

"Amamiya-san, you... You're... You poor dear. It must be so hard for you," was all Kyoko could openly manage. Anytime you have scores that low means you're not doing anything in LoveMe at all. If you do the right thing, you can at least earn a good 50 points. Even she outbeat her kouhai.

"Aha, you got such poor scores!" Kanae mocked, chuckling obnoxiously. "I'm sure mine are much higher even with the little I've done." Kanae opened her LoveMe pad and chirped, "Eh? Ne, President-san?"

"Hm?" Lory questioned, raising an eyebrow at the young woman.

"What the hell is this?" she shouted, plastering her checkpoint page on his face.

**Kotonami Kanae avg grade = 50.32 = F**

Can obtain at least 47 points on each job == F

Can obtain 48 more jobs within the remaining year == A

Can obtain 50 points for each job within that time == F

Has an average number of 4 jobs within her career == F

Has an average of 50 points per job == F

"Ne, Moko-san, calling the kettle black aren't you?" Kyoko openly mocked with her demons adding on to the scene. "You should respect your fellow pink prisoners."


	12. You Can Only Rock Once part 1

First off, I am SORRY. I haven't been able to read the Skip Beat manga since my last update because all the websites that I normally read manga on weren't letting me see the pages. However, I now am caught up. Skip Beat has been getting juicier lately. It's pretty cool. I suggest everyone catch up to its recent chapter 204. The mangaka deserves to have his/her work read with your fullest attention if you want to read about Kyoko's story.

Now that I am caught up, however, I can return to my fiction. I intend to have Guro play a supporting role in Kyoko's life, and I am accepting suggestions and/or comments. Your reviews have helped me re-evaluate the story, so I thank you for reviewing. Without further ado, here's Loving Supernatural ME.

* * *

><p>In Lory's extravagant office, the president was busy arguing with the LoveMe girls about their checkpoint pages. Every time he raised one point, the girls would bring up a counterpoint and the debate would begin from there. The only girl who didn't argue with him once, and this was to be expected considering she had relatively higher scores, was Guro Hiyashinsu. Who could really blame her? She was pumped about her LoveMe scores! She didn't want to seem like a bitch, but she was feeling pretty confident.<p>

Guro walked away from the debaters without so much as a whisper and opened the door quietly to leave. Lory heard the creaking of the door, but, before he could call Guro back, she was gone. Guro felt slightly bad for just leaving the president on his own, but she could only speak for herself as far as work goes. She wanted to at least give the president a proper word of gratitude, but she knew that if she did then Lory would probably ask how she got such decent scores. In all honesty, she hadn't done a single job related to show business with exception to dealing with that asshole, Kiho. All of her jobs were just repairing and maintenance work. Instead of being paid or fined, she just told her "boss" to put points on her pad instead. Sure, it was probably cheating but it was worth it. She was ahead by a nice margin for a newcomer.

_A young woman with a mysterious, tumultuous past is starting her new life independently..._

When she saw the lights in the hallway, she closed the door gently and leaned on the door. She had a faint blush creep up to her cheeks and smiled very slightly to herself. As if the pink checkpoint page was a light of hope, she sighed and felt a tiny weight lift off her chest. Though her past was shaded, she realized that the more she did on her own power and by her own ambition, the more she learned to just let go of that past. She lifted her arm to place the LoveMe pad on her chest and chuckled quietly. Footsteps echoed in her ears before she turned her head and saw Nakazawa running towards her with concern written all over his face. This look made her worry and straighten her posture to brace for the worst news.

"Ne, Hiyashinsu-san!" Nakazawa called, waving a hand to flag her down.

"Yo," Guro responded, holding up a hand. "What's going on?"

"How was the meeting?" the head of the music department asked.

"Not as bad as I thought," Guro replied, wondering why he was stalling. It was probably a subconscious habit of his. She continued without asking for details, "I've got a lot of work to do before the year is over, but I'll try to pull through. Why are you running around?"

_So far, she has had no formal newcomer casting tests, no changes in her calm demeanor, and no real struggle in the LME Pop Production company. She seems like a normal girl who just likes looking dark and angry. But... it seems like... her past has decided to catch up to her on this day..._

"I have your next LoveMe assignment..." the man said, dropping his voice towards the end of his sentence. "I'm not sure what'll happen with this one, so I'm a little worried. I read over your LoveMe pad with President Takarada before we agreed to form a checkpoint page. Each head of the department helped the president formulate a point system and thought it would benefit you girls if you at least had something to look forward to as you build up and grow your talents into something the world will love. Most of the LoveMe girls excluding you are actors, so a majority of their rewards have something to do with TV shows and the like. You're a musician, so your rewards and your jobs deal with anything related to music. But that's the thing. You're a broad topic. I heard you were taking up an acting exercise, which is good, so your rewards are little more scattered. Some of them relate to TV shows, others music videos, and others concerts."

Guro was becoming annoyed with the stalling. She almost wanted to demand the purpose of this discussion out of Nakazawa but that would've been a terrible mistake on her part. Her eyes began to settle into just an attentive state as Nakazawa began to grow silent. She raised her eyebrow then tilted her head at him, wondering why he suddenly became silent.

"So, basically, what I'm hearing is you're worried about my next LoveMe assignment, but you're not telling me why."

"It appears you have a rather violent temper, and the person that you're about to deal with has one, too..." Nakazawa trailed off, wondering how to go about explaining the details to her.

She was still just as calm and looked a tad concerned at his behavior. This was a man who was considered harsh when it came to critiquing people's presentation, performance, and overall talent. To suddenly become a babbling idiot was just not like him.

"Lay it on me. What's up?" Guro questioned, raising her voice. She was annoyed now.

"It's the band that's supposed to be playing in Club Citta with you," he then said with a straight, professional tone and face. "There was a fight between the vocalist and the drummer after a gig was finished. The vocalist threatened not to go back to the band until the drummer apologized, but, even after he did, the vocalist got into another fight with his manager. The manager quit on him, so the vocalist hasn't been able to make it to gigs on time and doesn't even show up to practice. This has been going on for the better part of the week. The lead guitarist of the band just so happens to be with LME, so I offered to bring in one of you ladies to handle the vocalist. He already had his mind set on getting someone from LoveMe to get the vocalist to the gig. You'll be a substitute manager."

_I don't like where this is going..._ Guro thought.

"What's wrong with the vocalist getting to his own gigs? No transportation or something?" Guro inquired, hoping that was the only problem.

"I'm not sure about the full details, but it didn't sound good. You'll have to speak to the guitarist of the band. He's the one who hired your department," Nakazawa said, grinding his teeth in anger. Stuff like this from the younger generation of artists pissed him off a great deal. He decided to sake off his anger with a sigh and went on to explain himself, "Mogami-san isn't in the music biz and wouldn't have any real knowledge on how to deal with band mates. She can be a great manager, but I don't think she's ready to handle these kind of people. Amamiya-san isn't very competent, and Kanae-san is in the middle of shooting for a drama. The only one who can really take this job is you."

Guro thought to herself for a moment and suddenly felt an extra weight fall on her shoulders. Something wasn't right about this situation. Something wasn't right about this band. Something just wasn't right period. There's more to this story than what's being told, and she was being reminded of her past a lot more now. She had a choice: one, she could take this job and bite her past in its ass; two, she could take the job and kill the vocalist because the pain of before was too great; three, she could ignore the job altogether and say she has another job previous to that one.

Guro closed her eyes to sigh in thought and then snapped them open with something almost familiar yet unreadable in her eyes. She smirked out of interest and said with a dark enthusiasm, "Alright, I'll see what's up. Where's the contact information?"

Nakazawa was surprised at the woman's reaction as he gasped lightly. She was going through with this fearlessly! What did she think about to bring this character out of her? He was just about to answer her question when stomping sounded in the distance and then some obnoxious yelling.

"I said no! Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"

A young man, who looked no more than twenty-eight at most, came down the hallway with two women trying to stop him. He was a gruff kind of handsome and was very tall. He was by no means a beef cake, but you could see the muscles bulging from his arms. He had spiky, blond hair with red and orange highlights at the ends to create a fiery look and regular brown eyes. Leather boots, shredded jeans, and a button-up shirt was his ensemble today. A relatively boring look for a normal man became something else on this one. He was very impolite and angry as he came down the hallways with his towering height. He wasn't much taller than 6'3" but he was definitely a full six feet tall, making his stride quite long and his walking speed look much faster than the average 5'3" or 5'10" individual. He had some body jewelry and a neck tattoo, but that was about all Nakazawa and Guro could observe before the man was standing directly in front of them.

Something inside of Guro snapped when she came face-to-face with the man. She knew this kind of arrogance, this spoiled attitude. Like the plague, she felt the weight of her past overwhelm her. When the man glared down at Nakazawa and then shoot a look to Guro, he scoffed and then tightened his face up. His nose and lips were curled in disgust as he looked upon Guro's form. He couldn't see her face much since her hair and hat covered her face, but he could see the pink overalls and Guro's plump lips. This minor detail caught his attention until the pink blinded him.

"You, in the pink!" the man called out, pointing at Guro's face. "What department wears a _gaudy_ color like that?"

_A string connecting Guro Hiyashinsu's patch to her life's quilt has been yanked out and threatens to destroy the work of art God has so patiently crafted for her safety. Can she sew the patch before more of her past leaks out?_

Guro took a small breath and then replied with a heartwarming smile, "This is the LoveMe department of LME! We're in uniform, sir."

The man was alarmed by this. Guro was by no means as gaudy as her overalls; in fact, from the smile, she was quite a sexpot. His eyebrow twitched at this thought and almost forced him to remember that one of his band mates said that his new manager was coming from a new department in LME. The name that he gave him was LoveMe!

"Like hell am I gonna be within a four-foot radius of anyone in that uniform!" the man shouted, loud enough for Australia to hear him. He continued, stomping out of anger,"You can tell that dumbass, Umareta, I'm sittin' out on this gig. If he's gonna get me a new manager, I'd rather it be someone who dresses up nice."

"Nakazawa-san..." Guro said, interrupting the blonde. Her smile was wiped off her face in an instant. The true Guro then came out and questioned in a dark tone, "who the fuck is this?"

"I think that's your client," Nakazawa answered, snatching Guro away and whispering to her. Of course, to everyone else, it looked like they were huddling in a corner on the opposite end of the hallway.

"No," Guro corrected, "my client is the guy who hired me. This fucker is definitely not him."

"What'd you call me?" the blonde yelled.

"Where's my real client?" Guro questioned, folding her arms.

"Umareta-san is the guitarist in this fellow's band. He's the one who hired you. If you want to meet him, you have to figure out a way to butter that guy up."

"The fuck I will!" Guro said, strutting off. Nakazawa snatched her back to the huddle spot and watched as she went back to listening to him. She sighed, folded her arms, and then said, "He's not gonna go anywhere with me in this uniform. Do I just force him?"

"You've gotta do something. That uniform can't come off until you leave for home, and you won't be going home for a while if you're gonna be with him for a few days. They have the last leg of their tour to finish," he informed her.

"How long am I supposed to be with this band?" Guro questioned, eyes widening.

"Umareta-san said they need you to stick around for at least a week."

"A WHAT?" Guro shouted.

"Hey!" the blonde man shouted, one woman hanging on his bicep and the other pulling his waist back. He was hovering above the huddling couple with a red face and then said, "You listen to me, gaudy!_ I_, for one, am not some backwater country bumpkin. I have a reputation to uphold and you wearing this trash is gonna ruin it. Do you know how _hardcore_ my fan base is? There are _thousands_ of people who follow me and most of them are men, tough guys, army veterans. If you can define macho in the slightest with that delicate brain of yours, gaudy, you'd know how important it is to be their role model. Oh, but I guess you wouldn't know that since you're not a rock star."

Everything went dead silent after the blonde said his last sentence. Guro officially lost it when she stood up and gave the blonde a look that put fear in his soul. He was known for being rather fearless in the rock world, but this woman captured his soul. A demon with ram horns spewed from the darkness that Guro was producing and staked the blonde to the ground with a bloody, silver cross. The women who tried to restrain the man earlier were shivering as Guro balled her hands into fists and quaked with anger.

She hissed with a venomous tone, "You done? Let's start from the beginning, shall we? I've never heard of you or your music, so you don't have a reputation worthy enough for me to consider _big_ or _manageable_. In fact, you're no more than a worm stuck between being eaten up by moles or birds. Nakazawa-san! I'll take the job under one condition..."

"W-wh-what?" Nakazawa questioned.

Guro slowly lifted one hand and then pointed a solid finger to the blonde as if sealing his fate. She said, "I want to open his gig...with one song..."


	13. You Can Only Rock Once part 2

_She wants to what...?_ the blonde man thought. _But...didn't she just hear me? She's too gaudy and stupid to be a rock star. Fact, she doesn't even exude a rocker's aura. She's just some dumbass Umareta hired to replace my manager for a while until the tour was over. What does she mean she wants to open my tour with one song?_

Nakazawa didn't know how to grasp the situation before him. He had to admit that this character took it too far when he barged into LME as though he owned it, and he was being rude earlier. Guro nailed some key points on the head, but what on Earth was he supposed to do? She can't play in his concert. That goes against everything LoveMe was for. The LoveMe department was just a group of talented people who needed training to develop a lovable personality. Stealing other people's job was not a part of the program. Making sure they're employers were happy and loved their work was their job. What could Guro possibly gain from doing this man's gig? If his fans were hardcore, they would chew Guro to pieces.

_Wait!_ Nakazawa thought. _Guro plans to be a rock icon at LME. Possibly the most hardcore person to be produced from our agency. We excel at pop groups and boy bands and pop idols close to Britney Spears and other top artists here. Her fan base will generally be hardcore like this man's fan base. Maybe... she knows his kind of crowd..._

Nakazawa furrowed his eyebrows in thought as Guro and the unnamed rocker sent challenging ice storms to each other. He hummed a bit then closed his eyes to say calmly, "Hiyashinsu-san, we can't allow you to do that. It's their tour. They have to say okay."

"There's no other way I can work with this asshole then," Guro said, dropping the challenge and walking in the opposite direction of the blonde man.

_How is her reaction that fast?_ the blonde thought, feeling ignored completely.

"Who are you call - ?"

"You," Guro answered, snapping at the blonde with a straight, angered face. "I'm calling _you_ an asshole. You came into this company with a bad attitude, had the nerve to disrespect the workers here, and insulted someone being hired to help _you_ out because you're too fucking bitchy to show up to _your_ own job. It doesn't matter how hardcore your fan base is. You wouldn't be as you are now without them, and you have the nerve to be inconsiderate about the money and the time they spend just to see you perform. You and your reputation are bullshit! But..."

The blonde gasped then let his eyebrow twitched at the face he saw. It was smiling happily. Guro was cute? After the ice storm, after the lecture, after the crap he was taking, after the insults, she was smiling with the cutest face she could naturally make. She even took her hat off and put it on her hip!

"I can fix that!" Guro chirped like a finch. This face and her voice made him imagine Guro as a little blue finch with pink feathers and a long black tail. Too adorable by his standards.

"Quit it with that face! It's starting to piss me off!" the blonde shouted, making Guro's cute face increase two-fold.

"With one song, I can fix...all of that," Guro hissed, erasing the precious finch image completely. All that was left was an incredibly dark, overwhelming aura that awakened the horned blacksmith of Satan. The blonde was frozen in place and watched Guro's eyes turn to blue hellfire. "Your bullshit performance, your bullshit fans, your bullshit attitude... I will fix it. I just need ten minutes to do a song."

"Ten minutes...?" Nakazawa questioned.

"A real rock star only needs two minutes to get the fans to trust him, three minutes to blow them away, and five minutes to play a whole song. That's more than enough time to work with," Guro informed, waiting for an answer. She freed the blonde from his otherworldly binds and folded her arms patiently.

"What kind of backwater dream are you trying to buy real estate on?" the blonde questioned in protest. "You're not a rock star! You don't even dress like one!"

"Don't have to. Real rock stars don't have a dress code," Guro challenged, waiting patiently some more.

"A real rock star has a code of conduct and that includes his fashion choices!"

"Some of the best rock stars are naturally charming even when their clothes are not. A real rock star doesn't dress to impress. They dress to satisfy themselves so they can play the best songs."

The blonde's eyebrow twitched angrily then growled. His gritted his teeth until the jaw was protruding at the lower corner of his cheek and then said argued, "Some of the best rock stars got laid by some of the hottest people because of a trend they followed."

"Most of them got laid because the groupies wanted what they had: _**talent**_."

That line did it. The blonde was infuriated at that point. "You're _not_ a rock star! Fact, I'll prove you're not. Let's go!" the blonde demanded, stomping off and fuming from the ears.

_Wait, that actually worked?_ Nakazawa thought, amazed at the blonde's sudden change in wanting Guro within intimate boundaries of his person.

"Ah, wh-where are you going?" the front desk women questioned.

"The hotel!" the blonde snapped, silencing the women. He looked at Guro, realizing that she wasn't moving, and then turned to snatch her by the shoulder sleeve and lead her away to the car. "If this bitch is gonna be my new manager, she's gonna have to stay close. I don't stay far from my managers. Pack up a new wardrobe, gaudy. I'm takin' you to a ballroom blitz!"

"Sure," Guro said, smirking.

* * *

><p>Shit. That's what the hotel room looked like: shit. There were clothes everywhere, and half of them weren't male attire but lingerie. A couple of condoms were on the floor, too! A large snake was slithering in a dark corner at the far side of the room, and twelve notices at the front door were stuffed underneath. They all said the same thing: <strong>Loose animal in the premises. Cannot clean area.<strong> Some food particles were also resting all over the floor. Bed sheets were scattered and probably served as the snake's nest. The tank for the slithering beast was turned over and broken which is why it was loose in the first place. At least the windows were ni - nope, never mind that. The windows had pizza stains and something unidentifiable that she didn't care to know about. Guro stared at the shit farm and just froze in place like she had seen her worst nightmare. No one but her grandfather knows this, but Guro is remarkably neat despite loving rock and roll and doing dirty jobs. Even she has standards for cleanliness and this blonde guy failed at those miserably.

"This is where you stay?" Guro asked.

"Oh, for the love of - !" the blonde started, throwing his head back in frustration. Why was everyone making a big deal over his pet snake. He wasn't going to eat anybody. He looked at Guro and asked, "Don't tell me you haven't been in a hotel room before?"

Guro slowly took out a cigarette and lit it. She inhaled deeply then proceeded to let the nicotine speak for her. She said, "I've never lived in a dump before. You're gonna be here for the whole week?"

"Until Saturday. Quit asking me shit and get busy!" the blonde ordered.

"No," she flatly refused, making the blonde freeze.

"What?"

"I said no," Guro said, turning around to walk out of the door.

"The hell do you mean no?" The blonde questioned, rocketing to the door and blocking it. "You're the manager, aren't you? You've got work to do. Our concert is tomorrow at 1:30 in the afternoon. We haven't got all day!"

"Then you're fucked," Guro said, looking at the blonde with a nonchalant glance. She pushed the blonde aside with enough force to make him stumble and continued, "I don't manage anyone who can't at least respect the hotel he's staying at. If you want help, you have to act like it. I'm gettin' a beer."

"The hell kind of manager are you?" the blonde questioned, holding the door so Guro couldn't close it.

"The best kind," Guro responded, smiling cutely with that natural, finch chirp. She then realized something and asked, "Oh, do you want something?"

"I'll take a beer," the blonde answered, fighting the blush he was about to produce. Even though she was in a gaudy uniform, Guro was still a cute girl. He wouldn't have minded dating her if she dressed better.

"No."

The blonde was pissed and had a vein burst on the side of his head when she refused him again. He demanded to know, "Why did you ask me what I wanted if you're not gonna get it? That's stupid!"

"You didn't say please, thank you, or I'll take care of this room first," Guro replied with a sharp, icy tone and glare. "Until you say one of those things, you don't get a beer. I'll be back in about fifteen. Try not to stomp when you clean this place up, it'll disturb your neighbors."

With that, Guro the manager was gone. The blonde gritted his teeth, feeling steam billowing out of his ears, and screamed like a raging demon that scared even his pet snake as it snapped its head around and uncoiled its body. When he quieted down, he waited for someone to burst in the door and ask him what was wrong. After several moments of waiting in silence, he grunted in anger then looked around at his room.

The notices _were_ piling up. You could easily spot the red, yellow, and orange papers when you walk inside the room. His duffel bag with all of his clothes was in shambles, too. His new manager didn't even bother to put her duffel bag down when she came inside. He had take out on the floor still and it spilled over. His bed was covered in music sheets and just random paper, clothes and take out boxes in general. The other bed had condoms and lubricant in it still, plus the lingerie from the groupies he had been sleeping with lately. Speaking of windows, they were fucking gross and he did take it a bit too far a few nights ago when he had sex with a random groupie on that same window. You could see imprints of skin and pizza stains on them. There was another substance on the windows that he decided to ignore because his conscience was eating at him. The snake tank needed to be replaced anyway because it was cracked beforehand. He could pick one up today since they were on sale until next Wednesday. By then, he would be gone and not have to worry about it.

He walked to a black box he kept in the snake's tank and took out a key from his pants' pocket. He unlocked the box and sighed when he saw four piles of cash in it. No one bothered to steal it, which was good, but he definitely needed a safer place to keep it. Well...with his room being a pigsty, it was already safe by the snake but if the snake is loose then it's free game on the money. A tank with a compartment would be a nice choice. He took out a nice sum of yen, pulled out his wallet, stuffed the money in the wallet, and then locked the box back up. When he turned around, his snake was coiling itself on its leg. He bent down to put the creature around his neck and on his shoulders so he could walk without scaring it. He sat on his messy bed with the creature and cuddled the reptile. When he calmed down, he vowed to get his best friend a new home.

* * *

><p>"Hey, it's a LoveMe member!" a random guy called out.<p>

He had choppy, red hair and brown eyes with a cinnamon flare in them to give him a sort of romantic look to his face. He was handsome for a skinny male who wore black and chains. He and another man with classic Japanese features were watching a tall, gentle-faced woman walk into a gas station. She had a pink backpack that had the "LoveMe" logo on the front pocket and wore the pink overalls as if it were her normal attire. Even they flinched at the offensive pink coloring, but this girl didn't seem to pay attention to it or at least hid it very well. Both men were filling up the company van's gas tank to try to get to the studio and practice something - anything really! The brunette hummed in thought, wondering if the girl they just saw was the woman he hired to fix the band he started with his friends.

"Think that's Tenno's new manager?" the redhead asked.

"I'll go check. I hired the poor bastard," the brunette said, letting the redhead take the gas nozzle. He bowed in respect to say hello to a couple of girls then went to follow the woman.

Guro was counting down from two hours. That's how much time she predicted her client would need before he cracked open a can of whoop-ass and started doing anything with his life. If not, Plan B was coming up fast. She knew his type: arrogant, prima donna, and impatient. Her grandmother used to be like that, but her grandfather always had that calm, sharp voice that calmed her down. Besides awesome bed skills, her grandmother never questioned her grandfather on anything. She reasoned she needed the same thing...somewhat. Her temper was no better than her grandmother's temper. The apple sat right next to the tree apparently. Guro went to the beer section and looked at her choices. She needed just the right one that settled on the tongue without the traditional burning sensation from the alcoholic content, caressed the brain with soft, tender flavor, and went down like an icy soft drink that gave the throat just the right amount of burn to cool the chest and pour into the stomach. Aha, found it!

"I'll need about four of you," Guro whispered to herself, taking out a small wallet to pay for the beer.

"Excuse me. Are you with - ?"

"Hm?" Guro questioned, turning her gaze to a man as she held four cold beers in her hand.

He immediately stopped when she turned and was taken aback by her eyes and face. She sure was cute. He cleared his throat and mind of any frisky thoughts and said, "Hi. I'm sorry. I, uh... saw your uniform logo. I thought you were with LME's LoveMe department."

"I am. Why?" Guro asked, smirking a bit. She thought LoveMe was just some ridiculous name for young talents who didn't have any social skills, but apparently the department was very popular. She asked with a gentle smile, "Are you hiring me for something?"

"I hired someone to be Tenno's new manager already."

"Oh," Guro drawled, leaning back some in understanding and then straightening herself up to say, "so you're Umareta-san? I'm ma nuke-o's manager now, yes."

"Ma nuke-o?" Umareta questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"That's his new name. Ma nuke-o, the dumbass king. Or just Nuke for short," Guro said, watching Umareta become still. The image of Tenno wearing a medallion with a golden ass on it and big rings and sunglasses in the shape of an ass made an imprint in his mind. The images kept recycling themselves in his head until he couldn't hold back his guffaws. His face was going red as a tomato. Guro merely watched Umareta laugh uncontrollably and then said, "Hilarious, isn't it? Nice to run in to you like this. What's the deal with Nuke anyway? Why isn't he showing up for his gigs?"

"Tenno's my younger brother," Umareta said, making Guro gasp quietly. Tenno hardly bore much resemblance to Umareta because of the blonde hair, but, as she compared their looks and bodies, she then began to see the two men favoring in certain features.

"Your brother..." Guro whispered, nodding. "Oh! The beer's getting warm. Mind walking with me to the register?"

"Sure."

"You can tell me more while we're walking."

"Well," Umareta started, chuckling at the introduction. "We actually lost our vocalist to a bad car accident and needed a replacement. We auditioned so many people it made our faces turn blue. Then, I overheard my little bro singing to himself while he was helping our mom clean up. I thought he was perfect. His voice had the right energy, he had a lot of heart, and he was a good kid. The guys loved him! He used to be on top of everything: lyrics, promptness, presentation. When we went platinum for the first time, everything changed for us. Money's been a problem, the pressure to pump out a great album was getting to us, and the media follows us more than ever. Tenno had the most on his plate. Our label wanted him to can some key members of the band, the media started comparing his voice to our late original singer, deadlines are too short for him to work with, and his manager quit on him because he lost his mind. His manager was stealing money from him, too. He's come to that point where he can't trust anyone and won't. For this tour, it was a bad plan from the start. We were in the middle of recording for a new album and our new manager arranged for us to do tour dates for about five months. The deadline for this new album is tomorrow and it's not anywhere close to being done. We can't just pump out a new record when we're drained every night. Tenno lost it and so did everyone else. He stopped trying. He comes to the gig when he wants, doesn't show up at all for recordings, and the label is threatening to get rid of us - him first. I figured if we could get a decent manager for this week or the last leg of this tour, maybe it'll bring our spirits up because we can't fight this alone. We don't know how, and we've never had a problem close to this until now."

"This is gonna take a lot of work," Guro said, handing Umareta a beer.

He looked down at the beverage and was startled when a car pulled up to a pump in front of him. He had no idea he was talking that long or that deep. He was just...outside now.

_How did I even manage to follow her like a mother duck?_ Umareta thought.

"Well, since you're my boss, wanna see if your brother listened to me at all?"

"Huh?"


End file.
